Kingdom Hearts III: A New Dawn
by NeoTerraKnight-Key
Summary: I have revamped the storyline. This story will not focus on either Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Axel, Xion, or anyone. It will feature my OCs and my handpicked Final Fantasy and Disney characters. The story will focus on a another young man on a distant world easily getting accustomed to the Keyblade until circumstances turn grim at every turn.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_:

Millions of light years away in a distant galaxy, a world flourished with an advanced society. Peace was ideal and it would remain so for another millennia. However, one man looked down upon the people with spurning hatred. He was once one of them. He did not want peace, nor to uphold peace. He desired to conquer neighboring worlds, expanding his world and bend to his species' will. His people disregarded him as a nonsensical, power-hungry radical and chased him away. He ran until he stopped at a cliff. He was a wanted man by his people. He wanted his ideals upheld, but he realized the crowd would not tolerate his politics. Seeing no way out of that predicament, he jumped to his demise.

The public went back to their business, forgetting about the radical. Below the cliffs was a stygian ocean that reeked of rotten corpses rising from seething tar. The tar clung on and ate his body away. Through agony, the man lost his old identity. Every cell in his body flashed between life and death every second! When he traipsed onto the black, gravelly beach, he drew his first breath and a strange force reinvigorated his body. He rechristened himself… Tartarus! He held on to his old belief that his kin was capable of conquering worlds. Now it is only for himself! He sought to punish and eradicate his former kin. He ran and in a single bound jump, he flew towards the harbor's tallest building. He looked down with animosity in his eyes. His right arm ached at first, and the burning feeling shot into his fingers. They became scaled and fused with one another. His right hand enlarged, mutating into a draconic limb. Red eyes opened and glimmered! With this new power, Tartarus blasted a widespread energy wave, ravaging numerous skyscrapers! He flew down to vociferate his belief that his kin would conquer galaxies.

"However," he said. "I will be the one to write history. Your only assistance is your blood!" The military swarmed in on him. It never mattered how many bullets per nanosecond, or how many times a proton-charged particle beam had been fired, or how many soldiers were lost, the military's strength was proven no match to Tartarus's power. The general called for a last resort: withdraw the seven elite guards. These unknown men and women are given the responsibility to carry these crystals. Jewelry blessed by their ancestors' knowledge how to harness the following elements: Earth, Fire, Wood, Water, Wind, Darkness, and Light.

Tartarus flew higher into the stratosphere, and focused his essence to destroy his former home world. The warriors donned their ancestral crystals and prepared to battle Tartarus! The leader blasted a fiery beam that followed Tartarus around until it struck him, burning him. The second in command grabbed a passing meteorite and crushed it with his bare hands, and threw the pellets in the demon's face. Tartarus regained himself and rockets in the leader's direction. The armored woman cultivated vines from her cyber-organic arm and caught him by the ankles. She swung him around to the tall nomad. He breathed deeply and froze himself. Unfortunately, Tartarus saw the plan through and slammed the armored woman and nomad together. The old veteran vanished. With great stealth, he snuck behind Tartarus and held him in place. The old veteran's strength was no match to Tartarus as he threw him at the radical's first-born son. Tartarus smirks and charges towards him. The second-born son shined brighter than the world's sun and blasts the demon! It seemed that victory was assured for the Elite Soldiers, but Tartarus had a quickly healed himself, showing signs of minimum damage. With no other option, they mustered their final strengths and sealed the monster inside a spectrum sphere. With one final heave, they shoved him as far as possible from their planet.

"I only wish that it didn't have to happen this way," the armored woman said.

"Brother Typhon!" the second-born son said.

"Brother Helios! Sister Selene! We've done well. But at what cost?" said the first-born.

"I cannot feel… my legs anymore," the old veteran said.

"Look at ourselves!" the nomad shouted.

"As the prophecy was told by our forefathers," the second-in-command said.

"My only fear… is that it is not the end," said the leader.

The elite guards' bodies faded into energy and swept into the inside of the crystals and jettisoned the same way!


	2. Bloody Black Rain

**Chapter 1**

**Bloody Black Rain **

The harbor's always crowded with skipper jacks. Men are hauling in blue crabs, our delicacy. The blue-feathered egret resides in the marshlands. When here, you'll think twice whether to double-cross a friendly face. Welcome, to _Charm City_.

It is a scorching day. A young man named Dorian waits for a bus with crossed arms and rubbed his stubble. He is of average height with bronze colored skin. He is now an alumnus of Blue Jay Jones High School, a school in the south of the city. He happens to be an ex-member of… maybe we'd get to that a little later.

He read his email, saying the yearbooks were done printing and he can pick his copy up. The bus creaks and stops at the curb. His chestnut eyes glances over the huffing machine and steps inside. The door closes behind him and he presents the pass. The bus boosts forward, causing Dorian to trip and to fall on his face. Dorian looks up finds "Stretch" Williamson laughing at his expense. Because of his lanky limbs, Stretch became an asset to Blue Jay Jones Basketball team, only to fall to a rival school in the semifinals.

Stretch stops and clears his throat. "What it do, cuz?"

"Ain't nothing," Dorian chides Stretch. "I'm starting to think the bus driver hates me for some reason."

"Yeah, sure," Stretch says. "So you got any clue where you wanna go? You know, for college?"

"I still don't know," Dorian said. "I've visited a few spots but I don't know where to go!"

"Seriously?" Stretch asks. "Let me rephrase that; Are there gonna be hot girls?"

"Uh," Dorian thinks. He then lists, "Coastal State College is like an all men's school. I would die if I went there. There's the Old Line University of the City. I mean, there's bad women but I think I'll stick out like a sore thumb there. Chesapeake Christian University has plenty of women, but I have a feeling that they would rather talk to Jesus than to me. And then, there is this other Old Line University I'm looking at."

"Which one?" Stretch asks. "There's like seven of them in this state… Wait, the one that offered me a full ride scholarship? You don't mean–"

"That one!" Dorian nods. "Old Line of the County." Dorian notices the bus stopping near the school.

"That's our stop," Dorian and Stretch step out and trekked towards the school.

"No! Really?" Stretch asks. "You sure?

"Why you buggin?" Dorian asks back.

"Um, the ratio is like 6:4. And you haven't even mastered your game since the Mixer party back in April. Matter of fact, you didn't even open your mouth as much around girls."

"I so have," Dorian defends himself. "It's just that… Well, you've never seen me talk to the other girls." An icy chill blows east for a short time.

Stretch shivers. "What just happened? It's June!"

Dorian turns his head left, and finds a big, black, rounded thing with big, round yellow eyes. It's just standing there, quivering.

"Hey, hey, Dorian!" Stretch whispers. The thing disappeared into the ground and scuttles away. "Should we be worried about– Them?"

Dorian turns right and squints. At first, the rays were too intense to see their faces. It is a crew of four. When nearer, Dorian's face flushes red. His eyebrows arched, "Them?"

Stretch whispers under his breath. "The B… Bloody… Black… Rain?"

The tall, tawny one is Tank. With a powerful body, this ex all-star defensive lineman has the ability to mow down an offensive line, as if he was a walking stronghold.

The frail olive-skinned dude is "Doctor" Meff. He was once a chemistry prodigy and was offered an all ride scholarship to a great northern university. However, things happened to him in his senior year. He performed several experiments on himself, causing himself… to not be himself. You could tell just by looking at his skin: dry, cracked, thoroughly scratched, and cut. How the others can withstand the sight of him is a great question.

Next is Ronin, a fair-skinned young man who is an upcoming swordsman. He was considered to be the fastest athlete at Blue Jay Jones. One day, he practiced for an all-star kendo meet on one stormy afternoon. A lightning bolt struck him and he was immediately treated. His scars runs down from left pectoral down to his left fingernails. It was noted that he joined the Bloody Black Rain as soon after the man on his left joined.

The self-proclaimed leader of the group is Snipes. Dorian met him first when Snipes told a sad tale when he was young. A gang of thieves raided his home and killed both of his parents. A year later he learned from his uncle how to use guns. His mind was still young and developing, yet he was entrapped in vengeance. On Snipes' 13th birthday, he searched up and down Charm City and found the thieves' crib. He broke in and shot all the members dead but one escaped survived a shot to the eye. The young Snipes carefully removed the bullets from the corpses as the surviving member watched. After four years of research an evidence gathering, the police department had to call it a cold case after Snipes' raid.

"EY!" One of them shouts. With that call, Dorian looks up.

Ronin creeps up to Dorian and Stretch and says, "We've been looking for ya."

Then Tank comes up. "Yeah cuz, what's crackin?"

Dorian looks to them and says flatly, "Ain't shit."

Stretch says, "We don't want to start no shit, okay?"

"I think the shit has started," says Snipes sidestepping to the front. "When we had a little 'falling out."

Then Tank steps forward and say, "Should've been falling in six feet. You should've known better, D'Scourge. You still with us, even if you did wrong us last month."

"Doctor" Meff comes from behind chuckling, "But NAH! You went up and out like 'Fuck the Code!' You don't deserve the name D'Scourge anymore, man. Just Nobody. But tell you what, _Stilt_," he asks for Stretch's attention. "We'll tell you what happened."

"We stopped by to visit his sorry-ass at St. Sinai," Meff says. "We weren't too happy about his performance that night," then he turns to Dorian's attention. "He didn't even put up a goddamn fight! All of our cash was gone, so he was dead to us."

"But that's not why we're here," Snipes asserts. "Our benefactor is feeling like a kind man today! He's willing to forgive you for not just what happened after the fight night against Buck, but also the other thing that happened a month later."

Dorian looks back at Snipes and steadily loses his patience. "The hell you mean, Brandon?"

"You forgot," Snipes enthusiastically says. "That was like a bedtime story you would tell your kids one day."

"Like hell, it is!" Dorian raises his voice. He was paired up with a lower rank soldier who went by his moniker PG Fats. He remembered that they had to "send the message" to the police officer who infiltrated and spied incognito in Bloody Black Rain territory. After the officer drove off to start his shift, those two broke into his house with his wife at home alone at 4 am. Dorian suggested they rob the place while PG Fats suggested they find and kill any family member in the house. The two argued over morality while the wife woke up and peered from the staircase. PG Fats caught her and chased after her up the stairs into the master bedroom. "You think sendin' us to da bars' funny," PG Fats yelled at her as she lay sprawled on her bed.

"Leave me alone," she whimpered.

"You stay right there like that," PG Fats pulled out his pistol and aimed at her forehead. She tried to scamper away from him but PG Fats grabbed her white cotton nightgown, whipped her in the face twice with the gun, and then knocked her to the floor on her knees. She protected her belly and cried.

The trigger was pulled and the shot was fired! The bullet pierced the carpeting instead of the mother's brain. Dorian was there in time to divert PG Fats' fire. "What'd I JUST SAY?"

PG Fats angrily yelled back, "That's what the boss-man wants!"

"He specifically told ME 'Do what you want," Dorian quoted. "I wanted the jewels and cash," Dorian growled. "I don't want her life! I don't even want the kid's life," he said has he pointed at her swollen belly.

"It's what we do," PG Fats yells back. "We the Bloody Black Rain! We gangsta! And we ain't got time to be pussies, anyway!"

"We DON'T need to kill her," Dorian argued. "Did the cop kill anyone when he spied on us?"

"Dog, what you doin'?" PG Fats explained. "We can't let anybody stop us. You're delaying us! The more moves the pigs know about us the more chances we gone get lit up! You get it now?"

The mother looked confused with teary eyes. PG Fats patience ran dry and attempted to strike her but Dorian stopped him once again. "Why'd I surrounded myself with monsters?" Dorian looked at her again. "We're leaving."

PG Fats and the pregnant lady looked puzzled to know what Dorian said. "Man, you out your mind?" PG Fats asked him. "Your bitch-ass ain't going nowhere but Hell," he stated as he aimed is pistol at Dorian.

"I'm already in Hell," Dorian said.

"Shit," PG Fats cussed. He fired twice as Dorian weaved forward towards PG Fats. Dorian delivered a haymaker to PG Fats' face. PG Fats fell to the carpeting as his grip on the gun was lost and dropped it. Dorian then reached for the gun and pointed it at the fallen PG Fats.

"The code, D'Scourge," PG Fats spat blood as he attempted to stand back up. "What about the code?"

"I'm done," Dorian fiercely gazed into PG Fats' eyes and fired the last bullet from the chamber to his heart. He agonized as he clutched his chest, and then stopped functioning thirty seconds later. Dorian dropped the gun beside the pregnant mother. He proceeded to the window of the master bedroom, until the mother stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

"Take a look at my face," Dorian quietly said. "Do I look like a monster?"

"No," the woman said. She asked another question with tears still streaming down her face. "But… why are you with them if you don't like them?"

Dorian didn't answer but played of her question. "The boss wanted me and that guy to give him the message that the Bloody Black Rain isn't anything to mess with."

She looked at the dead PG Fats and shook her head. "Look, I…"

"I'm sorry," Dorian came to kneel to the mother's eyesight. "But you need to save yourself and your man," Dorian said cryptically. "The rainstorm will come one day and flood your home. The boss knows where y'all live. I can't do anything to save you after tonight. Don't wait till they get here."

"What about the gun?" she asked.

"Say it was self-defense," Dorian answered. "You karate chopped him and he dropped it. Just hold the gun and that's proof enough."

She shook her head, "You still haven't even–"

Before she finished, Dorian jumped out the window of the two-story house. "Thank You," she whispers. With the police sirens recoiling around houses, he leapt and then ran through the alleys.

Dorian knows to this day that his action would catch up to him sooner or later, but not this soon.

"You think we forgot about what happened to PG Fats?" Snipes asks. "That was your chance of redemption. And the boss ain't normally the one to give second chances."

Dorian looks at him square at his face and says, "Isn't that nice? All he does is sit up in his office all day and all night. Then he sends y'all out to do whatever he wants. Chicken-hawk."

"So what you saying though, D?" Tank stomps towards Dorian until Snipes stops him.

"You think you can leave that easily?" Snipes asks. "You know what happens when you break OUR code?"

"Or else what?" Dorian asks.

"The Bloody Black Rain will bring the storm and when lightning strikes–" Snipes indignantly says before Dorian clocks him!

"Raise my bounty!" Dorian says as Snipes wipes the blood from his mouth.

"That's what I get for raising you up to be a Bloody Black Rain Fighter?" asks Snipes.

"So good, I should've been boss of this pack," Dorian rebutted.

Snipes steps close to Dorian's face and he jabs him! Dorian refuses to fall. He comes up close as he prepares a move: two hard-as-brick fists, cemented in one human sledgehammer.

Snipes fell to the ground, again! Everybody sees his lips bleeding!

"It's your funeral," Snipes threatens Dorian.

Dorian throws a left hook, but Snipes dodges to the side. Then Snipes launches a barrage of punches. Dorian avoids it like the Matrix. That is until Snipes gets him on the forehead and cuts his lower lip. "What now? You're outmatched," yells Snipes. Dorian counters with a back-fist! Then he gives Snipes an ax kick to the right shoulder!

Snipes' eyes widen as he ran towards Dorian fast, grabbing him by the neck! "DIDN'T I SAY YOU'RE OUTMATCHED?" Snipes throws Dorian four feet in the air, and slammed him to the ground like a rag doll! He chokes Dorian with two of his hands! Stretch watches helplessly as he yells, "Come on, man!"

Tank and Doctor Meff didn't stand idly by, swinging his massive arm to hold Stretch by his neck. Stretch panicked. Ronin jumps out in front of him with a long switchblade and a 14" katana.

"I'm a slice your ass in two!" Ronin says.

Stretch throws the basketball in Ronin's face, knocking him out. The ball came back to him and then hit Tank in the face with it. The grip was released and then pulled out his cell phone to call 911. But Doctor Meff pulled a plastic bag half full of gunpowder and red plant roots.

"EAT THIS, BITCH!" he lit it on fire and threw in Stretch's face. He didn't have enough reaction time to duck the blast! He fell backwards, and his face was a bloody mess! Dorian managed to turn his head in direction of the blast, and his face flushed crimson. He grunted and grimaced.

Snipes chuckles, "You said you wanted to leave right? Let me punch your ticket!"

Snipes slowly lifted his right fist. Dorian struggles to free himself, until he suffered a little from delirium.

"Don't stop! It is only the beginning," the voice lingered. Dorian had a feeling like no other. Snipes fist came down, but it was blocked with Dorian's left hand. Dorian's right hand grabbed hard onto Snipes' choking arm, and twisted it. Snipes eyes widened in bewilderment. Dorian pushes him upward slowly, so that he stood. Somehow, Dorian's power grew, and he was strong enough to crack Snipes' hand. Out of fury, Dorian tosses him at least a good five feet away. He still had the energy left to deal with the other Bloody Black Rain. He saunters towards Tank. Then Doctor Meff came up to him with another bomb bag in his hand and lit it. Dorian takes that lit bag and crushes it. The spark was out and he right-hooks Meff as the concocter falls to the ground.

Tank roars, "Are YOU out your mind, boy!"

Dorian pivots and delivers two windmill-kicks, and then jumps to bash a two-legged front drop kick to his chest! Tank falls, gasping for air. Dorian steps back to find where the entrance to St. Sinai hospital is. Snipes got back up, wobbly but ailing to fight. So did Tank.

Snipes says, "Yo Tank! It's time..."

Dorian looks over to see where Snipes fell. But he was gone until Snipes hastens his speed. He hurriedly grabs Dorian from behind! "_**Speed Gear**_?" Dorian is perplexed. Tank, over where the fences are, revs up.

"Too bad, huh?" Snipes clutches Dorian. Tank charged towards Dorian and Snipes. "Once he rushes into you, your diaphragm easily rip like tissue paper once you breathe!"

Dorian panics a little, looking for a way out while Tank rushes in closer and nearer, "Ah-ha!"

He notices Snipes' left leg was a little shaky after the impact earlier. Tank is about seven feet away from touchdown. He heel-kicks Snipes' leg! Dorian threw Snipes in Tank's way! The two collided into each other! They rolled in the grass, and then into a muddy mosquito nest and they stopped rolling in front of a bunch of garbage and thorny bushes.

"Tank," Snipes says in pain. "Round up the Fighters!" "Dorian, you fucking punk, you'll pay!"

Tank did what he was told. They stumbled like tired soldiers to the left side of the street. As Dorian runs over to see Stretch he thinks out loud, "What… just happened?" He stands over Stretch, and then picks him up to rush him over to the hospital. "You won't die on me yet, you hear me?"


	3. Trouble on my Mind

Chapter 2

Trouble on My Mind

I made it in time to put Stretch in intensive care at St. Sinai Hospital. I'm sitting in the lobby waiting to hear any good news. Despite the calming baby blue painted room scented with candles and medicine, I can't help but to bounce my leg. It's been an hour and then the nurse in green scrubs walks from the hallway.

"How is he?" I ask. "He kept complaining about his face feeling like he was dipped in lava."

The nurse answers, "Right now, he's in critical condition because of third degree burns. Also, we've sent skin samples to the lab. One of our doctors thinks he found traces of bloodroot. He says when applied topically, it causes an extreme burning sensation. And since the blast opened his skin, this bloodroot would permanently damage his tissues. We're doing everything we can. But, he may need to talk to the plastic surgeon to have him the way he originally looked."

"Bloodroot?" I ask out loud. Sounds like something Demarcus would dabble into. I hate to see a good friend taking a fall like that. "Terrifying," I said to the nurse. "Did you call his folks?"

"His dad said he'll be here in a few minutes," says the nurse, "He'll be in stable condition within five hours." After that, I said to the nurse I had to go back home. She bid me farewell, and I leave into the hall.

I know the Bloody Black Rain isn't just a bunch of regular thugs. Santiago had his boys find any information on the cop who broke in: where he lived, what was his name, and who he was married to, everything. I wonder if that lady took my warning seriously. I don't think I'm shocked why Santiago wants me back.

I shuffle along and look out the pristine window to find Blue Jay Jones a hop, skip, and a jump away from St. Sinai. I remember my freshman year. It was hell over there. Simply… Hell. The boys thought I was an easy target. I was small. They thought I was weak and defenseless, they thought I was easy prey. I never was a happy kid going there. All I wanted was a better education.

I pressed the button on the wall and walk into an elevator. I press the G button and waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. My phone vibrates and it was my house number. I answer, "Hey?"

"Hey?" asks my sister Sidney on the other line, "Is that any way to greet me on the phone?"

"I never got any better ones from you either. Except when you tried to get cute when you mix up four different languages."

"What's wrong with you today?" she asks with a little sweetness. "You sound like you've been in a fight?"

"I have been in one today," I say. "And I really don't want to talk about it."

"With who?"

"Just some asshole. Why'd you call me," I quickly change the subject.

"Actually Lizzy wanted to talk to you but his hands were too tiny to press the buttons," Sidney says.

"Is it about those –," I ask but Sidney sets her phone on the table for Lizzy to talk to me. "Ah-Lo," Lizzy responds.

"Is it about those things we've found in the yard?" I ask him.

"Yes," Lizzy says. "Romeo wouldn't stop barking at those at night."

"If they're radioactive," I say, "Nobody touches them."

"Jade touched them one time," Lizzy says. "Sidney touched a red one. Romeo sniffed two green ones. I also happened to touch–"

"Stop," I said to him.

"Oh, come on," Lizzy encourages me. "They were fine. Do I sound like I'm turning into a zombie?"

"That and your brother leaping out of the Schumanns' courtyard during the day."

"He leaps out at _night_," Lizzy says.

"Whenever. We can't let people see him whenever he does jump out. We've got nut-jobs willing to prove that the government is made of lizard people."

"What're the odds of that?" Lizzy asks me. The elevator rests at the ground level. I look up and see two police patrol vehicles parked from the curb of the entrance. Three men clad in officer garb with sunglasses walked in.

"I'll call you back," I hang up on Lizzy.

The sheriff walks in with his partners behind him. He has a good amount of fat on him. His skin is a tad shade lighter than mine. His black hair is short cut and wears the typical detective uniform. Trying a friendly approach and seeing how shocked I was, he introduces himself. "Good evening, I'm Detective Warren Smithfield, how're you this evening?"

I said to him, "I'm… having a bad day."

The detective begins, "We all have those. One of the residents said she heard a "gunshot" sound around the neighborhood, around Blue Jay Jones High School. I'm curious if you knew anything about this little incident that happened a little earlier."

I nodded. The detective asks his first question. "Was anyone holding a gun, at that time?"

I answer, "There was no gun. Some sick-looking, skinny dude threw a 'bomb-bag' at my friend's face and it exploded."

"Skinny, frail male," the detective jots down in his notebook. "A 'bomb-bag.' They work just like pipe bombs."

"Dem–" I stutter. "Doctor' Meff made them."

Detective Smithfield stops writing notes to recollect what he heard. "Did you say Doctor Meff?" I nod like a little kid. Then Smithfield says under his breath, "Son do you have any idea who you talking about?"

"If I know names," I say to the sheriff. "Then yeah, I do know."

"Why you look so familiar?" Detective Smithfield asks me. "I remember seeing you," the detective lifts his shades and studies my face. "I saw you on T.V. You're D'Scourge aren't you?" Then the fat detective builds his excitement. "You were off the chain, man!" he sounded like a wrestling announcer. "You left your opponents torn up! You brought the pain like no other! But that one fight you against 'Buck.' You stood your ground and had little time to strike back," he calms down a bit. "He tore you're ass up."

Begrudgingly, I nod as the detective continued. "But in this one interview, you said, 'you pushed yourself too hard and broke a few ligaments." Then the officer lightens up, "Man! That was two years ago."

I am astonished of how much he found out. I ask him, "How did you find all that out?"

"I've had two boneheads run some data on you," the detective says with his hand on my shoulder, "I gotta hand it to you, son. You've made a wise choice. All those rounds you've endured, the greedier they became."

"I didn't know I had fans!" I say. I'm still wide-eyed from how he found that much information. "You're the first!"

"And," the officer says as he whips out his handcuffs. "The 'first fan' to take your ass downtown!"

"No wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on," I stutter over my words!

The detective and the other officers chuckle as he put away his handcuffs, "I'm just fuckin' wit you! It's a joke, son. You need to lighten up."

Detective Smithfield sighs and asks, "Which direction did they take to flee the scene?"

I point and made directions. "They may have headed towards to St. Karen's, across the soccer fields."

"Okay, thanks for your cooperation. Have a blessed day," said the sheriff. Then he puts his shades back on, "Alright, let's move before the scent blows away."

"One more thing," Smithfield says to me. "I'm dropping the charges." The sheriff drives off with his task force to the all-girl school down the street.

It's getting dark. I've noticed the city upgraded over the years: the new security lights were flashing bright blue lights, and wanted posters of the Bloody Black Rain I met earlier. Each member held a 1,000,000 Munny bounty. I look ahead and saw some shadows of prancing crack dealers. Something… something didn't feel right. I turn my head to the other side of the street. There was that thing again, taking a heart-shaped "jewel" from a coke addict. I see it crawl out of the pavement, wobbling and shaking, and then it flattens itself into the ground.

"What just… happened," I mutter. "The junkie… is he dead? What did that thing do to him?"

I changed my pace and pass an apartment. It's two stories high and looks very craggy. One upstairs room's lights flicker. I felt a tingle in my spine flowing up to my face. I try to move on but an older woman's scream rings my ears!

Hard knocks bang from the inside of the apartment door! I'm not sure what to do at this point…

"Somebody help!" she screamed. "There's a monster after me! The door won't budge! HELP!" No doubt that is an older woman behind that door, but has she lost her mind? I slowly approach the door. With my eye at the peephole I try to look inside. "You there! Yes you! Help me out!

"How do I know that you're not buggin?" I ask her.

"Please believe me I'm not crazy," the older woman panicked. To add to her proof, I hear hissing from the inside. The sound of the hissing wasn't as natural as a cat's hiss or a snake's. The hisses become loud with fluctuating tones, and the hisses cracked! "SHIT," my grip on the doorknob tightened. I try to pull! "I'm getting you out, but you have to push!"

DOOM!

DOOM!

DOOM-DOOM! Hard knocks became stronger and louder. I brace myself–

DOOM

DOOM!

CRACK!

I rip the door off the hinges to find nobody was there. But the same heart-like jewel floats in midair. There was that black, yellow-eyed thing again!

"What the fuck are these?" I say as these monsters clamor their way out of the apartment. I had a choice to run, but instead– I chose to stand my ground.

"What're you doing!" yells a distant angry voice. A young woman clad in a red leotard with black leggings running towards Dorian. She stands at 5'5 with ebony skin and with long, dark, kinky hair. Her figure is a petite pear. She bears a wide print "A" on her costume.

"What am I doing? What are YOU doing?" I ask.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" the leotard lady asks me.

"I was trying to save an old lady," I say. The thing jumps at my face. I grab it before it could claw out my eyes. I toss it at its buddies like a bowling ball. All of them are smacking up to the wall and they explode into a violet mist. "Now, I just wanna go home!"

Then five more monsters morph out of the ground, like shadows.

"I'd like to go home, too!" the leotard lady says to me. "After a long day of dealing with the Bloody Black Rain thugs–"

"Bloody Black Rain?" I give her a look. "Funny. They wanted my head, and now my friend is in the hospital because of them! I even thought I was going to get arrested today!"

"Pfft! You shouldn't have pissed them off!" the leotard lady says. "Try stopping a bunch of Bloody Back Rain members from robbing the bank!"

I look inside the apartment and there's a whole mess of those things bombarding against walls inside of the building. Then two of the shadows jump at me, and then I knock them back against the crumbling wall. One of them crawls to my leg and shreds my pants leg! One by one, they swarm around me like hungry beasts. I pick two of those up and started to swing wildly at the others, chucking them in different ways!

"Did you just one-up me?" I ask the lady.

"Are you doing worse?" she asks. Three Shadows leap out from the ground. Then there was another thing: one of those shadows warps out of thin air, wearing a knight costume. It jumps around for a bit, then two more of those things warp out of thin air.

This Soldier jumps toward me. I grab the foot and tossed it back. "Does what I'm doing look like a 'no' to you?" I ask.

"You seem fine," the lady says in disdain.

"Lady, please listen to me?" I slam the shadow. "All you did was show up out of nowhere and not even bother asking me if I need help–"

"MY ROOM!" She bobs her head. I look behind and see the apartment that was over run by Shadows is now collapsed. "You just wrecked my house!"

"Why you're yelling at me?" I ask. "They started it! Besides," I groan as I grab a mint out of a container in my pocket. "It's not my fault they attacked me."

"But I have no place to live!" She walks up to the demolished building.

She tries to move the rubble herself, but the pieces were too heavy. She looks back at me. I don't know any other way to explain the fact those things attacked me. I hear her take a deep breath, and seeing her swing back her arms. She looks as if she was shoving a big heavy block. When she "pushed," she exhales, and the rubble cleared the way!

"W…w-what're you looking for?" I ask.

"Finding my pocketbook," the young lady says. "I keep everything I need in there: checkbook, foundation, wallet, chap-stick, driving permit, SS card…"

"Are you a psychic?" I ask. I approached her to help find her stuff.

"What?" she says. "My power? Nah, I can control winds."

"And you can fly… too," I say to her when I lifted up a heavy piece of wall. "So, you're like Storm? You know, _X-Men_?"

"Kind of," she says. "Just, without the other weather."

"Is this yours?" I ask her about a deep red pocket book resting on a battered floor.

"Yes it is!" She quickly grabs it. When out the way, I dropped the wall.

"Thank you!" she says. "You know, you're pretty strong."

Some people tell me that all the time, "Mm-hm." I walk the opposite way. I remember as I looked down. Lizzy took my Adidas before and modified them into propulsion shoes. He did tell me that if I ever needed to use them, it takes my energy. Anything at my bodily disposal: calories, carbohydrates, even my sodium intake. I look left, right and back at the leotard lady. I swing my right heel into my left, hoping I could fly home instead of taking the bus.

"What are you doing?" the lady asks me.

"Seeing if I could fly, just like you," I say.

She rolls her eyes. She takes one last look at the shabby apartment. The leotard lady looks on the ground and finds one shadow scuttling about.

"Watch out!" she shouts. Before I notice, those Shadows tack onto me! More of them morph out of the ground. They felt too heavy and I couldn't stand. I hear the leotard lady take a deep breath and a gust of wind strong enough to blow off all the Shadows. I stand back up with wide-open eyes, feeling the icy sting in his contacts.

"OW!"

The things recover from the windblast. The leotard lady stands her ground as I regain balance. Then the Shadows swarm together, combining into each other: thin, long antennae, a slim build, six feet tall, and an extra large left arm of that thing was much longer than the right!

"Ew!" says the leotard lady. This "Super Shadow" lounged its big claw at her! I catch the claw in its tracks, but it threw me in to a crumbling wall, and then it quickly crashes down on me!

"Shit!" I quickly get out of the crumbles. "That's it! Now you've made me mad!"

I ran and jump onto the head of the monster, grabbing it by the antennae. Pulling vigorously and jumping off the monster while still holding the antennae, throwing the monster over my shoulder! The slam was hard enough to crack the pavement beneath the monster. "Now stay down!" I scream. The leotard lady looked at me as if I am a monster.

Slowly, it opens a mouth and grew black teeth. The first tooth was about 2 cm. long. The tooth shoots to an astounding eight inches! Then it grew more teeth, starting so small and then to eight inches!

I back away quickly and scream, "JESUS!" The Super Shadow gets back on its two feet, bellowing!

"Run!" says the leotard lady, "We don't know what it is!"

"What about the city?" I ask her. "Are we just going to let it–"

"What?" she asks. "You think we can take this thing head on?"

"You got super wind powers," I say. "And you just said I was strong. So yeah, we can."

"Listen Mister, I–" the leotard lady starts but I interrupt her.

"Mister was my dad's name. I'm Dorian," I say. "And this will work. I'll fly into it, and fight it!"

"What flying?" the lady asks.

"You wanna keep arguing?" I ask her. She looks at the monster as it starts to ravage other apartments and then back at me.

"Fine!" the lady says with sternness. "What can I do?"

"When I hold it in place, and if you can, freeze it," I say. "Your breath almost gave ice-blindness."

"I don't have ice breath!" she yells.

"One way to find out," I say to her. I kick my heels and the jets poured red flames from the soles of the shoes.

"That's what I'm talking about!" I fly as high as 20 feet, over the monster and then into the monster. As fast as 40 miles per hour, I catapult myself at the monster's face. I think I cracked a few teeth, and scratched my hand. The Super Shadow charges at me with its large arm. It swings, but misses. I got close and delivered a few shots. After an uppercut the monster swipes its smaller right claw, ripping my shirt. I land a hard sidekick, throwing it off balance. I hone in, but its larger claw strikes me down. I crashed onto the pavement! I stopped rolling and look up. The lady takes a stance similar to throwing a bowling ball. Tiny gusts of wind swirl in her open palm. The monster slams it's claw down, but I dashed away! The claw is now stuck, and the monster could not budge! The gusts increase in size moments before I push the monster close enough in her range.

"DO IT NOW!" I yell as she screams. The icy blast of wind gushes towards the monster. A mist surrounds us. Lizzy's was right about his invention, it does take up a lot of energy. The icy mist cleared up, the monster was not there!

"But I had him!" the leotard lady says. "Dorian, behind you!"

"What?" I say when it warps out of the pavement behind me! "Shit!" The thing caught me!

Then, the Super Shadow speaks to me, "For once, your heart smells appetizing!" This world has some bad tasting ones!" Then it bites into my shoulder, "Sweet succulence!"

My voice tires, but I still scream. A monster eats me in front of another human being, in front of a woman. She didn't run away. When I saw her face, tears are streaming. I see desperation. I see tears as if she is going to lose a close friend. I have problem being rescued by a woman. This lady, clad in red and black is something, all right. She opens her palms and carries small glowing orange orbs.

The Super Shadow bellows, "What would those do to me? I am a Heartless!"

Why am I sweating? The monster secretes some kind of sweat. She throws the orange orbs at the monster, but they weren't solid. They might be pockets of gas. The gas orbs absorb into the monster as it releases me from its grip. The leotard lady then instructs me. "Do that thing with your sneakers again."

"You believe me now?" I say weakly.

"Stop playing!" She says with clenched teeth. We are a few feet away from the monster melting down. I grin as I kick my heels multiple times. The monster uses its dying strength and reaches its giant claw at us. The lady looks and panics. My shoes cut on and we rocket away from the Super Shadow's claw. The monster roars it's last as the young women's delayed attack finally explodes from within it's body. An array of sirens of police cars and fire trucks resound from the corners. She turns her head around and says, "That was too much trouble."

I say, "By the way, I never knew your name."

"Atmosphere," she replies. "At least that's my hero name."

"I meant your real name."

"I can't just give you my real name," the coy Atmosphere says to me.

"My lips are sealed," I imitate a zipper going across my lips. Atmosphere bit her lip.

"Besides," I add. "You may as well get comfy at my house. All you've got left is what's in your pocketbook. My friends could help you."

"Its Ashleigh," the red and black leotard lady who went by 'Atmosphere' finally gives her real name.


	4. Evil Awakens

Chapter 3: Evil AWAKENS

Long ago on a distant world, there was a creature. He was but a simple creature. A creature capable of rational thought and displayed his opinions. He thought his world was advanced enough to begin conquering the galaxies beyond the world's own. He is correct about one thing: The technology is continuously reaching for its peak, humane civility and secrets are well kept, and the people could not be happier with their progress on that world. His world was perfect and seemed to improve further. He was furious that his world would make more progress if they would fly beyond their stratosphere to dominate other neighboring worlds, not for spatial exploration. He had a hunger for his world rising above the universe as the untouchable! But his people had never wanted to go as far to bring other worlds into subservience. Time and time again, he cried for his race's supremacy but was ignored. He called the world leaders of his world foolish and lackadaisical for not having that drive. He rebelled and tried to raise riots. He even killed his senator to see if they would listen to him now. He was hunted like a beast! He wanted to live to rule other worlds, not die like a dog.

"I AM TARTARUS!" the monstrosity finally rises from his encapsulated prison! Tartarus is a fitting name for his appearance: masculine, towering, and certainly satanic. The extraterrestrial demon inspected his surroundings and realizes that he landed in a frozen wasteland. He taps his ungulated foot against the ice. "Strange world," he comments. "Is there life?"

Tartarus feels the chill of the South Pole. "Why would there be life here?" His eyes flicker red. "There is so much more! If I want to conquer a world, I need an army."

He breathes in the cold air and then concentrates every fiber of his body, letting his energy unbind and release an aura! During his power-up, webbed wings shot from his back, and horns grow on his skull! His hair shines crimson red under the arctic sun.

"Half of my energy spent fighting in that prison," Tartarus says as he curls his fingers into a fist. "A prison made by those jewels," he remembers before he was trapped, and seven warriors wielding elements. "And such power. What if I were to hunt the warriors down and kill them for the jewels! No, I need a capable army to do it for me. _**WICKED HEARTS**_!"

Tartarus levitates and flies north. "I can hear the thoughts from those who have dark hearts…"

'_I'll find him someday, and I will take the kingdom away from that bratty prince!' _

'_My proud country is being run into the ground because my people are fighting a losing battle. As soon as I reboot my creation, I'll have them darkies run for their lives!'_

'So what if we're expelled, it just adds more fun to our game. What's the plan?

'I heard the bitch lost her home and moved in with this guy we used to bang. Pay them a visit?'

'I'd like that!"

"How cunning," Tartarus smiles. "They would do for my army… maybe four more…"

'_Hey Snipes, he beat the shit out of us!' _

'_I promise you, Meff. That'll be the last time he'll do that to us!' _

"_Shit, I want to stomp his ass! What you doing, Ro?"_

"_I peeked into this school's website for "finding and contacting alumni. He lives somewhere near Willard's Wheel Rd." _

"Yes," he chuckled. "There's an army I can lead to dominate this world! When I find those jewel wearers, vengeance will be mine!"


	5. Meeting Ground!

Chapter 4: Meeting Ground!

Dorian and Ashleigh flew high southbound I-695. They were fortunate that there are a few drivers on the highway. No one should notice them, especially on a new moon night. Dorian's slow blood loss made hard for him to focus, causing the two to droop. Ashleigh swerves right, flying above Liberty Road and across Campfield Parks.

"Oh my God," she says. Her hands are sticky from his blood. "How're you still alive after that? You need to go to the hospital."

Dorian's pain worsens. He looks at her with a bleeding nose. "I've had worse," he says.

She shakes her head and asks, "How are you flying?

"A friend of mine is a tech expert," Dorian says.

A few blocks down, near the Cobblestone Methodist Church and volleyball courts is his home, a modest, red-bricked house that could use a little cleaning on the outside. The two separate to land. Ashleigh glides down. Dorian splats against the pavement!

She helps him up and asks, "You sure this is your home?"

"We'll pull out a bed for you."

"Who lives here besides you?"

Dorian drifts to the front door, a small dog barks when he turns his house keys.

"He's good with people," Dorian says. "He likes to jump on people."

"You sure someone in here knows how to treat you?" Ashleigh asks again.

Dorian fiddles with the key, but cannot fit it in the keyhole. She sighs and rests her hand on his. She guides him to the bottom knob. He blushes as the key is slowly pushed in. Before Dorian could twist the lock open, Sidney unlocks it first. She pouts and crosses her arms. She is rather short, wearing Capri jeans and a yellow blouse. The small dog is Romeo, a corgi du Wales.

"Why you home late?" Sidney asks. "Where's your graduation video? Who is this? Why are you bleeding?"

"Why twenty questions?" Ashleigh asks. She carries Dorian in, but Sidney halts her at the front.

"Who is she?" Sidney asks.

"Be nice to Ashleigh," Dorian says. "We're helping her out."

"Who says I'm helping?" Sidney asks. "We've got all sorts of people walking in and out. I don't even know half of these people!"

Embarrassed, Ashleigh weakly smiles and waltzes right in.

"Stop bleeding all over the floor!" Sidney demanded.

"What do you want me to do? He's like a broken faucet," Ashleigh hisses.

"The medicine's in the bathroom," Sidney says. "But I don't want him ruining the carpet at the same time. You know how fussy Mother gets when the carpet is stained?"

"What kind of sister are you?" Ashleigh asks.

Dorian slumps out of her arms and teeters right, "My head feels fuzzy."

Then a lizard walks out of the hallway's wall. He sports a white lab coat fit for his size and sees Dorian. Beige, a small brown snake, follows him behind.

"What's with the commotion? Who's bleeding?" He glances at Dorian, staining the wooden floor. Lizzy shrieks, "What happened to him up!" Ashleigh stood at the doorway and screams for a bit.

"No time for formalities," says Lizzy. He pushes a few buttons in the wall. A hidden compartment opens to reveal a white surgical tablecloth. Romeo whines and jumps on Sidney and woofs lowly.

"Sidney," Lizzy calls. "Could you drape this over Dorian's bed please?"

She huffs and traipses upstairs to unfold the cloth. She flaps it over Dorian's beige blanket.

"Can't you do this downstairs?" Sidney asks Lizzy and Beige.

"And have Romeo snooping in?" Beige answers her. "We need to focus on closing the wound as fast as possible. Besides, the floors needed cleaning. We're having guests over tomorrow."

Dorian treads upstairs, still holding his wound. Sidney watches when two drips of burgundy splash onto the shag carpet.

"Dish detergent will get that out," Lizzy says to Sidney. He readies some bandages, "Alright, just lie down on your right side. Let's see what we've got!"

"Those look nasty," Beige comments on Dorian's wound. "Do you think a caiman could've done that?"

"I doubt it," Lizzy says as he picks up a spool of black nylon. "This looks worse than a crocodile bite…"

The two reptiles worked diligently for four hours to seal up Dorian's mysterious wound. Sidney pulled out a bed for Ashleigh to sleep and brought her covers. She also swept everywhere, knowing whom these "guests" Lizzy mentioned. She knew that Ashleigh would be the last "guest." Lizzy now rests on the dining table with a mug his size, reading the paper. Sidney sits by him in the chair.

"Having Mom around would make everything easier," Sidney says.

"She would," Lizzy agrees. "If she hadn't that conference in Reno, maybe the graduation party wouldn't be so haphazard."

"But that was a week ago," Sidney says.

"Think of it as an after party," Lizzy says and sips his tea.

"A party with glowing rocks," Sidney says. "You said you were running tests on those. What are they?"

Lizzy shakes his head and sighs. "One thing after another. I'm more concerned with Dorian's bite mark. Five holes one centimeter long, he could've died. What's even worse is that what ever bit him left behind a substance. It looked like tar. What kind of monster bites a human and leaves behind tar?"

"Komodo dragons?" Sidney answers.

"Tar, not saliva," Lizzy corrects her. "Anyway, Beige may know something about gems and jewels. She grew up an abandoned mining camp near the Andes in Colombia. I'll see some results tomorrow. You might want to rest right now."

"Agreed," Sidney peeks at the oven's clock reading 1:30 am. She heaves herself off and upstairs to her bedroom.

Dorian awakens to see a light gray day from outside his bedroom window. He turns around to see the time on his blue dome alarm clock. The clock read 10:43 am.

"Don't move too much," Dorian turns around to see Lizzy holding an 8 ½ by 11-inch paper. "How do you feel?"

"Like Swiss cheese," Dorian says.

"I'm glad you weren't turned into a snack," Lizzy says. "What ever thing bit a major artery. You never cease to amaze me."

"What about fighting four men?" Dorian asks.

"Did you win?" Lizzy asks.

"Against the Bloody Black Rain? Somehow," Dorian replies.

"Oh. Them?" Lizzy asks. "Didn't you say you were done with them?"

"I did," Dorian answers. "Now I've got them setting a bounty on my head."

"Your mother is going throw a fit whenever gets back," Lizzy dismays.

"She doesn't need to know," Dorian says.

"This article I printed online says otherwise," that was what the page Lizzy is holding. "The Lord Baltimore Local Newspaper. 'Young Bloody Black Rain Fighter 'D'Scourge' quits Exiled Warriors,' written by Hank Mencken, Jr. Interview by Jessica Scott.

"She wouldn't even know it was me," Dorian says.

Lizzy shakes his head and says, "Your body may take heavy punishment: that huge bite from earlier, that scuffle you got with them. But you only go so far until you actually–"

"Heavy?" Dorian asks. "The bite, yeah. But Brandon, I remember when he didn't hit as hard as I did. Santiago must've trained him or something."

"Phpf," Lizzy shrugs. "Well from his perspective, it must've felt like punching a heavy boxing bag. You barely have any bruises on you. Other than that, those bite marks would heal up in ten months."

"TEN months?" Dorian says. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't move your left arm as much," Lizzy suggests with a flat voice. "You'll probably need a handicap permit for driving. In speaking of which, Ashleigh told me everything last night after we fixed you up."

"What's that got to do with her?" Dorian asks.

"Did you forget?" Lizzy sighs, "She needs clothes?"

"I don't even have the car yet," Dorian adds.

"Matthew called saying he received your check," Lizzy explains. "Now, he should be driving from the Charm City dealership to here."

"Yeah, what about it? " Dorian asks. "MATT?"

"His family moved to Anna County not too long ago," Lizzy says. Romeo came upstairs and gives Lizzy a lick. "Aw, EEEIICCCH!"

He runs back downstairs. Dorian follows suit fully clothed. "How did he put on his clothes so fast?" Lizzy remarks his speed of dressing.

"Before you go," says Lizzy, "I found and removed a small black, un-symbiotic cell flowing from the bite wound. It looked harmful so I and Beige are running a few tests on it now."

"Un-symbiotic," Dorian says. He undid his orange dress shirt to the third button revealing a black v-neck. "Oh yeah, that monster. It could talk and it called itself a 'Heartless."

"Heartless," Lizzy wrote in his notebook. "Sentient life forms with carnal tendencies, and some sense of identity." He closes his book and says, "When you all get back, we need to discuss about those gems we've found."

"You know where they came from?" Dorian asks.

"They're not from our world," Lizzy smiles. "That's for sure. But that's for later. And Dorian–"

"Don't get hurt," Lizzy hums after Dorian bolts out the door

Dorian walks around to reestablish his balance after losing a valuable amount of blood. An old-gold colored sedan rolls to his curb. Dorian knows who it was behind the wheel. And then his cell-phone vibrates, finding an unknown phone number. Dorian answers his phone, "Hello? Hello?"

"Yeah dude, uh, is this you're address?" the voice says in a western dialect. "All I see is this weird guy standing out in front."

"That's me, you dummy," Dorian opens the door to reveal Matt looking shocked.

"Wassup, dude!" Says the young man. Matt Masters is a surfer dude hailing from Oaktown. He had black, silky hair and steely gray eyes. His skin is much lighter than Dorian's and could be mistaken for Dorian and Sidney's cousin. He is a few inches taller than Dorian. "Give me a hug, brotha," Matt steps out of the car and embraces Dorian with a bear hug.

Dorian pats Matt. "Matt… my shoulder," Dorian says to him as Ashleigh and Sidney walked out the house, locking it behind.

"Hey, Sid!" Matt invites Sidney for a hug. She gladly ran to him.

"You're freaking HUGE," she says as she swings.

"How's middle school?" Matt asks her.

"I hate it," she replies as Matt laughs. Matt then peers at Ashleigh and asks, "Who is this?"

"Matt, this is Ashleigh," Dorian answers. "And we'll try to help her today."

"Help her with what?" Matt asks Dorian.

"Everything," Ashleigh shakes her head. Silence fills the conversation until it stirred.

"You want to tell them?" Dorian asks her. She looks off put by his suggestion.

"It's okay, we're all friends here," Matt says. "I'm sure it was some crazy shit that happened in Charm City."

"MATT," Matt's lady friend Nadine yells. "Are we going?"

"Hop in," Sidney gleefully invites Ashleigh. Hesitant at first, she opens the door and Nadine slides to the middle.

Nadine is Matt's girlfriend for at least a year. She is of Korean and French descent. Her eyes were a deep forest green, compared to Ashleigh's chartreuse green eyes.

"Dude," Matt asks, "Where're we going?"

"To Defending Circle," Dorian says. "Let me drive, Matt!"

"NO WAY!" Matt opens the passenger door and shoots himself across the seats to the driver side. He then clamps his hands on the wheel. "I know this is your car and everything, and you were supposed to have it last month. But, Lizzy told me about your surgery last night. So I got this."

"I'm pretty sure he would've been able to drive, Matt," Nadine says. She grabs dried peas from a plastic snack bag. She munches away asking, "Does anyone want one of these?"

"Yes, please," Sidney eagerly opens her hands for some.

Dorian pinches his nose bridge and sighs. He climbs aboard and Matt drives off.

"How's my ointment treating you, Dorian?" Nadine asks. "I made it myself."

"Ointment?" Dorian asks. "I don't remember any– Why does shoulder feel sticky?" Dorian then sniffs his bandaged shoulder. "Peanut paste?"

"One of the few ingredients I've thought that could help promote collagen protein growth," Nadine says, pleased that her topical medicine was used. "Now, all I have to do is wait for healing. Then I can enroll at Banneker Institute."

"That school asked you to make medicine?" Ashleigh asks her. "Before the semester starts? Why?"

"To finish their application, they've wanted me to write up a research paper. I thought how natural medicine can work just as fast as stem cell," Nadine says.

"You mean, vegan medicine?" Matt teases Nadine.

"You sure what your doing is all right with them?" Dorian looks with curiosity.

Nadine says, "The university sent me an email about instructions on how to make several types of medicines: capsules, mineral pills, salves, liquids. All of which must be made in front of the professor at the school."

"I'll bet that was mountain of research," Matt comments.

"Twelve pages," Nadine holds the pages in her hand. "And still counting."

The faces of Matt, Dorian, Ashleigh, and Sidney cringe of the thought of writing a paper that long. They roll down Freedom Road and pull into the Defending Circle Mall parking lot. Matt parks the sedan near the entrance and the gang steps out. At the entrance, Dorian eyes two figures in long trench coats. Their faces are well hidden behind patterned scarves and dark sunglasses. The only things they couldn't hide were long, azure elf ears and rust red fox ears. They seem keen on returning stares through their shades at not only Dorian, also Ashleigh.

Once inside, Sidney directs Ashleigh and Nadine to the women's clothing department. "So I found this cute camisole here. BUT, it was too much even if it was a 20% discount. How much do you want to spend?"

Neither Ashleigh nor Nadine wants to give direct answers. Regardless, Sidney found herself a shopping spree.

Meanwhile, Dorian and Matt walk away to another apparel store. Matt looks around, seeing if the store carries a particular pair of shoes he wanted. Matt leaves unsatisfied. As soon as Dorian turns right, he thinks he saw two shady men from a distance. He wasn't too sure, but he thought it was the Rain's Ronin and Snipes. He hides and pulls Matt into an aisle of T-shirts. The two peeked from the shirts. "Dude, what was that for?"

Dorian hushes Matt and answers him. "I beat them up yesterday."

"Dude, why're you getting into fights?" Matt yells through his whispers. He darts his eyes at Dorian.

"They almost killed my friend, Stretch," Dorian whispers back. "I wasn't going to take that shit while laying on my back! Now, I'm pretty sure their boss wants my head."

Dorian's suspicions are proven correct as Ronin and Snipes walked by the shirt aisles. They walk past several feet away from where Dorian and Matt are hiding. Dorian and Matt crawl out of the aisle and calmly walk the opposite direction Ronin and Snipes came from.

"Weird enough," Matt says and then strikes up a conversation. "DUDE, do you remember the last fight on Exiled Warriors?"

Dorian remembers his last fight in Exiled Warriors. He faced against a tall, muscular man. Dorian suffered from exhaustion and muscle aches due to extreme workout sessions. After landing one successful kick, the man called "Buckshot" hands Dorian a quick loss.

"I didn't," Dorian lies.

"Cause their website kept going on about some new fighter the Bloody Black Rain brought in," Matt says. "He lost pretty bad against 'Buckshot' Wallace. But I did a little digging. Man, I didn't know the Rain was drug ring, too. After two months after that final round!"

"Really?" Dorian asks. "You think they were covering up for something?"

"Yes, dude! E.W. banned them for a hundred years," Matt says. "I watched Buckshot's interview and he said that he felt bad for the guy, too damn tired to focus. Still, when that bell rung, Buck destroyed this dude's guard, and his opponent swung his left hook, but Buck blocked that punch with his own. The only thing that guy did to hurt Buck was a solid reverse sidekick. After that, Buck surrounded him and then charged through his opponent's guard, breaking his arms. D'Scourge, I think that's his name. One uppercut, and he was out like a light. After that match, everything negative swirling around the Bloody Black Rain was true…"

"They're a denomination of a higher gang," Matt finishes. He diminishes his voice to a whisper. "A police blotter came out saying that they had shipments filled with assorted things: MK rifles, X, Munny by millions. Anyone who dared to cross them would be sure the Rain would swallow them up like a hurricane!"

Dorian says. "And you read all of that on their website?"

"Sure did," Matt crosses his arms. "If only I figure out who is D'Scourge. He's badass!"

"Was badass," says a stray feminine voice. Matt and Dorian look around to find who said it.

"Let's see if the girls are done," Dorian says as the two rose from their seats and head to the women's department. The same two figures from the entrance stood the same time as Matt and Dorian did.

"Hey sweetie, you mind filling out a survey for us," says the trench coat figure with the rust red fox ears.

"Maybe when I'm interested?" Dorian coldly asks.

Then the other figure in the trench coat with azure blue ears grips his left shoulder. "Rudeness isn't appreciated, SIR," she tightens her grip and Dorian yelps.

"Yours isn't either," Matt grabs the figure by the shoulder, swinging her off of Dorian. Matt holds on to her trench coat and watches the sunglasses and scarf fly off of her. "Unreal..."

The other figure pulls her trench coat, scarf, and sunglasses off to reveal their real bodies: a young woman with red fox ears. Her eyes are chestnut, her body is slim, and her hair is a long, curly, and bright auburn. She wore a white cut away tank top with green short shorts.

Matt pulled away the get-up to see another young woman: azure skin color, and elf-like ears. She sported a red camisole with violet short shorts. Her eyes are blue as the bright sky. Her hair is long, straight, and silvery. Unlike her counterpart, she was… chesty.

"Halloween season already?" Matt asks.

"You don't remember?" asks the elf.

"Probably not. It was such a long time ago," says the fox girl. "Here sweetie," she pulls out a folded newspaper from her pocket, "You got a minute to read this?"

She tosses the paper to Dorian. He unfolds the paper, gives them a quizzical look, and then back at the paper. "Where was this?" Dorian asks himself while reading the paper. "Where have I seen them? I thought I heard some sort of scandal at St. Karen's School for Young Women, something about two senior girls from there? 'Week of Tragic Mystery,' two expelled students rumored to have broken in St. Karen's. Who's been expelled?"

"Really?" Dorian reads the names. He finally realizes whom he was talking to. "Madison 'the Vixen' Foxworthy and Evelyn 'Eye-Candy' Forrest?"

"Now you remember?" the fox-lady Madison asks.

"You two were nymphomaniacs," Dorian points out. "There was that case where y'all offered sex to twenty-nine students in athletics from ten different high schools, and made them sick afterwards."

"That was before Principal Rosenblatt stepped down," Evelyn smiles. "He had his student government do the work for him and expel us. There was this one bitch who was president at that time made the final ruling."

"Eve," Madison says to Evelyn. "She'll wait for now. But, you noticed how Honey-bunch said twenty-nine?"

"I'm sure it was **thirty**," Evelyn says holding one finger up. "He missed one."

"You were the last one," Madison says to Dorian. "How could you not remember, silly?"

Dorian remembers when he was a second string running back after the first string running back fell sick because of them. He was one of the thirty athletic students poisoned by those two. He met them by the bleachers on James Gibbons Field, what kind of flowers looked like…

"Hooded flowers," Dorian remembers what they brought when they met him. "Those are toxic! I could've died! They could've died!"

"Time for you to wise up, D'Scourge," Evelyn calls out. "And come back to the Rain."

"Who're you calling–?" Matt asks her. He turns his head to Dorian. "Is that really… your stage name? Dorian?"

Matt's mouth is agape, finding more about his friend's past. "I thought he was a quiet, sort of athletic kid," Matt thought to himself. "Why would he hide all of this up until this point?"

"My God," Matt says quietly. "You're in SO much trouble."

"In trouble?" Dorian asks. "I'm in Hell!"

Dorian darts in between Madison and Evelyn, takes their arms, and slams them into each other! The two young women are distraught and dizzied from Dorian's surprise attack and fell to the floor still recovering.

Dorian and Matt book for the entrance. "Dorian? D'Scourge? I… I didn't know," Matt says.

"Save the fandom," Dorian concentrates. "We need to get out of here!"

Matt's phone tings and vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees Nadine's number on the screen, " Hey!" He catches his breath, "What's up!"

"What's wrong with Dorian's phone?" Nadine asks. "Sidney tried calling him, but he didn't pick up."

"We've had a little trouble," Matt answers. "With some 'surveyors."

"Well," she says. "We're waiting outside by the car. Don't take too long, okay?"

"We won't," Matt says until Dorian stopped running. "We'll try not to," he says. "Why'd we stop?" Matt asks Dorian.

"He's in the way," Dorian points at Snipes standing at the entrance.

"I heard that Vixen and Candy got their asses slammed," Snipes says to Matt and Dorian.

Dorian says, "If it's about Santiago wanting me back–"

"We lied," Snipes says. "Boss Smiley don't want you back. We've figured you've caused the Bloody Black Rain too much trouble. Shooting PG Fats was the LAST straw to piss us off!"

Dorian shakes his head, "Playing me with empty threats isn't a good idea to piss me off. C'mon, Matt."

"DUDE!" Matt points at Snipes raising a silver Smith & Wesson handgun.

"You think I'm playing?" Snipes threaten the two of them.

Matt stands close to flowing dresses hanging off of a metallic stand. Both him and Dorian raise their hands as Dorian stamps his feet. He looks down and sees he's wearing the same shoes he wore yesterday.

"Why you looking down?" Snipes yells at Dorian. "Look at me!"

Dorian diverts Matt's attention to the dresses. "They're pretty," Dorian says.

"Yeah," Matt agrees. "They sure are. All nice and flow-y almost."

"What you saying?" Snipes question the two of them. "You want to try them on?"

"No," Matt picks up a dress made from white silk. "It's a shame though," Matt says as he analyzes the dress. "It's so silky. Maybe–"

"YOU TRY IT ON!" Matt tosses the dress at Snipes' direction. He shoots at it before it covers his face. Matt ducks in the aisles as Dorian hides behind a thick mannequin. Snipes rips the dress and growls in spite of the distraction.

Dorian receives a text message from Matt's number: "GO NOW! I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!1!?"

Dorian taps away on his phone: "Matt, Don't be a hero! We're both getting out of here!"

"HOW?" Matt shoots text back. "And this huge motherfucker breathing down my neck is not helping at all."

"Huge?" Dorian whispers as he peeks from the mannequin. He sees where Matt is crouching– with Tank standing over him!

Dorian punches in: "GTE THE FYCK AWAY FROM HIM11! THATS TANK11!"

But it was too late when Matt said out loud "Who?"

Tank surprises Matt and puts him a grappling lock: Tank's arms reach in front of Matt's arms and his hands twist and lock behind Matt's neck. Tank tortures Matt until he hears a faint whoosh from behind him. He turns around to see nothing but aisles of colorful clothes. Snipes hears the whoosh as well. Matt squints his eyes and hears the whoosh, too.

"The hell was that?" Tank asks Snipes.

"Air conditioning," Snipes answers him. "What's his bitch ass going to do? Finish the job!"

Tank proceeds to apply more pressure to Matt's neck. Hears the swooshing again, only to hear closer. He turns his head and finds Dorian swooping in at a high speed, punching him in his cheekbone!

Dorian stops his flow and Tank flies into the aisles across.

Dorian helps Matt up to his feet and run for the exit. Doctor Meff blocks the exit, only to be kneed in the gut by Matt and then tossed aside. Ronin jumps from the dress aisle, with his pair katana out and ready to fight.

Matt and Dorian raise their hands once again. "Shit," Matt says. "Now we're done!"

"I'm not sure of that," Dorian says when he saw Ashleigh at the doorway. She takes a stance and waves her arms and hands in the air. Dorian saw a tiny ball of collected air.

"Why?" Ronin asks. "Ain't got nothing to protect yourselves with."

Dorian sees the ball floating above Ashleigh's head, signaling her attack is ready. "Hey, Matt?" Dorian asks him. "Remember when we had those hurricane drills back middle school?"

"Yeah?" Matt answers, "Duck and keep your head between your shoulders. Why's that?"

"IT'S HURRICANE SEASON!" Dorian pushes Matt down and held their heads as if it was a drill.

"Hurricane season?" Ronin looks behind him and sees Ashleigh swing her arms forward and releases the ball of collected air.

"That was nothing," Ronin turns his head back. The glass cracked immediately from hurricane force gusts! Ronin flies over Dorian and Matt with glass stuck on his back!

"C'mon," Ashleigh signals Matt and Dorian. They stand back up and run out of the frames to Dorian's sedan.

"Thanks, Ash!" Dorian says.

"What happened to you two?" Ashleigh asks.

"We'll explain everything," Matt heaves his voice. "As soon as we get the hell out of here! Well, Dorian has–"

BANG!

"SHIT," Dorian collapses on the parking lot. The bullet may have reopened his bite wound. The entry point was only a few centimeters away from it.

Snipes walks out of the mall and prepares to shoot the next time, but Ashleigh uses her gust to knock him over. He looks up to see her from a close distance. "You again?" Snipes asks himself.

She finds his stare bewildering. Ashleigh then helps Dorian up to climb into his car. The old-gold sedan pulls out of the space and then drives off.

"What the fuck just happened?" Tank yells when he came out of the entrance.

"We should've jumped him sooner," Doctor Meff says. "Why didn't we jump him?"

"Because we'll do better than jumping him," Snipes answers. "Boss Smiley busted us out, to finish what we've started with him. Tonight, we bring the lighting!"


	6. Storm Forecast

Chapter 5: Storm Forecast

Dorian is awake… but not in his room. Not even in his house. He slept on a painted glass platform. He gets up on his feet to better see what was on it: Sidney holding small embers in her hands, Lizzy flying around in a metal suit like Ironman, his brother Jade sitting on a tree branch, Romeo jumping above hurdles, Matt holding an eagle feather in his hand, Nadine growing vines from her hands and feet, Ashleigh dressed a caped-super hero blasting something. There is another section of someone he wasn't familiar of: circle split diagonally between a blue, glowing orb wearing and a little boy with khaki colored skin wearing a crown. Dorian then sees himself on top, wielding a strange, key-shaped weapon. He looks down at the images in a clockwise pattern, and then counter-clockwise.

"Too bad I didn't bring a camera," he says. A flight of stairs materialized to the left of him, leading to another platform. But before he proceeds, eight Shadows shoot out of the ground. Dorian prepares himself, but their movements are halted. Then they melt like gallium at room temperature and take shape: a shield, and then a wand, and a sword, and then a ray gun, and lastly a spear. What was weird is that they all have this symbolic three big circles, making a "mouse's head." Then Dorian heard a voice…

"These are the most powerful weapons that will aid you. Choose wisely." They were suspended on top of the pedestals with writing on each of them:

Shield – "You are a guardian warrior among your friends. You will sacrifice anything to protect them. You will know how to protect everyone you love and care, except yourself."

Dorian walks to another weapon and another after until he read them all.

Wand – "You are a wise scholar apt to successful lifetime. You are bound by knowledge. But the knowledge you gain you thirst for more, ignoring those who need you."

Sword – "You are a soldier among everyone. You are considered to be the conqueror of everything you touch. Start looking at the man in the mirror if you conquered too much."

Ray gun – "You are a combatant by the codes of the streets. You would always resort to violence as a last stand. However, use this too often and this would become your last resort."

Spear – "You are a fighter of tradition. You are slow yet cunning when the time of action is necessary. Later, it could be a latter trait of stubbornness."

Dorian looks back and forth and thinks which trait would fit him best. He picks up the shield with his left hand. Then the same voice echoes:

"You may choose another weapon."

"Nice," Dorian peers at the sword. Dorian grabs the sword spars with the weapons. "Too awesome!" Dorian says. "Check me out! I'm a knight!" His fun was interrupted when they disappeared. The same voice says:

"Excellent choices! Now you must choose the weapon you despise the most and throw away."

"Never again," Dorian says to himself choosing the ray gun.

Then shadows rise up from the platform from their place and attack Dorian. They seem a little stronger and faster this time. Dorian feels sluggish as they move away from him. The four Shadows clumped together as they formed into a Super Shadow!

Then a bright light glows from his right hand! When the light weakened, Dorian looks and says, "A giant key?"

The key had an electric blue handle, with an autumn-gold blade about three feet in length, and a keychain has the same shape as the weapons' symbols did. And then another bright light flashes in front of his eyes.

"Very good," the same voice says. "But, there is more I would like to know about you."

"That's nice," Dorian said. "How's about I go blind?"

A flowery, lavender colored door materializes before him. Dorian steps up to the door but turns around spotting a red chest. He walks over and opens the chest and found a bottle with a green liquid. It was labeled "Potion." Then Dorian pushes the door open he was transported back into his house. Sidney, Lizzy, Romeo and Ashleigh are posing in front of the staircase. Sidney asks Dorian,

"What is most important to you?"

A. Wealth

B. Family and friends

C. Power and Domination

Dorian did not expect her to give him a question like that. Regardless he answers, "I want to be remembered. B."

Then Lizzy asks, "What do you fear the most?"

A. Growing old

B. Rejection

C. Death

Dorian thinks over the question and then answers, "C. Just, for now. I have so much to do."

Then Ashleigh asks, "What do you want out of life?"

A. A good life

B. Power and control

C. A little more stability

"Can I answer with two answers," Dorian asks. "C."

Lastly and oddly Romeo says in the same tone as the voice Dorian heard, "Later you will begin your adventure in mid-morning. Is that alright with you?"

"I guess," Dorian seems lost as he answers a random multiple-choice quiz. Then another bright light flashes while Dorian is teleported onto another platform, this time it was black with three shades of gray and five shades of violet and it had all the Bloody Black Rain Fighters at center then another red chest was on the edge. He walks over and opens it up and finds another bottle of potion. More stained glass stairs materialized from the pitch-black void. Dorian walks up the stairs carefully. Dorian turns around and the stairs vanished! Nowhere to go, he runs up to another platform, this time with a Hawaiian Island theme to it.

The same Super Shadow Dorian met earlier morphs out of the stained glass. It summons one more of its kin and fuse into each other. This shadow monster grew 20 feet with two big claws similar to the Super Shadows' and two heads full of razor, sharp teeth!

"Aw, hell!" Dorian backs up to the edge of the platform in fear! The "Keyblade" he has before flashes back in his right hand. It shakes and weaves uncontrollably and points at the Shadow Colossus!

The monster roars and swings its large claw at Dorian! It was too big to avoid it by jumping, so he blocks it with strength like he had never known! To him, it felt like stopping a charging diesel train!

The monster overpowers Dorian and sweeps him aside. The Keyblade shines orange and the battlefield changes to dirt and grass patches! As it readied to swing again, it rears both of its ugly heads close enough for Dorian to pick up and throw mud balls at its eyes. The mud ball splits into four pieces, for all four eyes. The Shadow Colossus recoiled, stumbles, and falls on its back!

Dorian makes his way to its torso and starts swinging at it. He hit it as hard as he could, and then the monster's skin rips a little and began to bleed purple! Dorian felt the Shadow Colossus breathe. He quickly got off. The monster stands back on its two feet and then it melts into the glass! It possesses the platform and flips Dorian off. He falls into the pitch-black void. The monster's torso hangs from the platform, pulling itself out while Dorian drifts down!

Dorian's Keyblade vanishes! Dorian felt a warm sensation in his hands. He looks to find a bright-autumn orange light!

"How am I doing this?" Dorian says. The Shadow Colossus drifted closer as Dorian thrusts both of his hands. Energy crackles from his hands and explodes into a fiery column in bright orange shades!

"Unreal!" Dorian says. He sees his blast rip a hole through the monster's chest! The Shadow Colossus lands on the platform first, and then Dorian readies his Keyblade. He sinks his weapon in when he landed as the monster roars in pain. The deeper he struck the bloodier its wound became!

Dorian pulls his Keyblade out as the monster gets back up. The Shadow Colossus swings its giant claws at Dorian! He is exhausted but he grips onto the Keyblade. Suddenly, he underwent a rush of energy from the weapon to him! The monster swing faster as the Dorian blocks each move! Then the monster slows down and the Keyblade glows again, somehow giving Dorian the power to leap in the air to knock the Shadow Colossus out!

The left head snaps at him! Dorian swings his Keyblade and breaks the monster's teeth! It falls on its back again and Dorian comes up the right-sided head. He slashes away until it Shadow Colossus ate Dorian. Dorian fiercely bashes about in the jaws! He screams as he smashes the teeth to break out! The monster bawls out in pain and then melts into the glass floor.

"Again?" Dorian asks as the monster shoots up its clawed fingers towards Dorian.

He waits a good ten seconds and then the platform shift sides, this time revealing both heads opening their mouths to fire shining violet lights! Dorian's hands light up again with the same autumn light. He sparks and fires his powerful blast between the two heads of the Shadow Colossus! Ensured of his victory, Dorian falls through the smoke smiling. He realizes that THERE ARE NO OTHER PLATFORMS TO LAND ON! Then again, there was still a platform underneath the thick cloud of darkness. The darkness pulls Dorian under! He struggles valiantly but it was much stronger. Escape seems impossible! Until a slender hand grabs his hand and pulls him up! Then a big hand grabs on, and then a small gentle hand…

Dorian awakens to see another day. Rather, a night. A drizzle softly pattered against his window. He props himself up in bed. He turns around to see the clock reading 8:30 pm. He groans and falls back on the pillow. He props himself up again to hear who was coming upstairs. It was Ashleigh carrying Lizzy on her shoulder, holding another report.

Lizzy says, "You need to quit scaring us, Dorian."

"I don't know how," Dorian says. "I had a weird dream."

"Relax," Lizzy says, "It's probably the medicine going into effect. I've removed the bullet. But now you've tacked on another ten months of healing."

"TWENTY?" Dorian did his math. "What about those…"

"We'll talk about that after you've get yourself together and met with _another guest_," Lizzy explains.

Dorian lies back hoping to have answers about these mysterious, ancient alien artifacts. Ashleigh clears her throat, signaling Lizzy is needed elsewhere.

Lizzy leaps down and says, "I'll leave you two alone." Ashleigh closes the door behind him and pulls up a seat and gazes into Dorian's chestnut brown eyes. He does the same into her chartreuse green eyes.

She smiles gently and says, "Thank You."

"For what?" Dorian asks but remembers. "Oh yeah. But I should be thanking you."

She asks, "What beef did you have with him?"

"A lot," Dorian says. "Snipes ain't shit."

Brief silence fills the room until Ashleigh asks, "Snipes?"

"Bloody Black Rain," Dorian answers.

"But," Ashleigh asks. "How'd you know his name?"

Dorian huffs and shakes his head. "I knew this would come… I was Bloody Black Rain."

"What?" Ashleigh asks with narrowing eyes.

Dorian looks to his left with half-shut eyes. "My stage name was D'Scourge. I started fighting for them during my sophomore year. I fought in Exiled Warriors. It's like a mixed martial artist tournament."

"So you were a thug?" she bares her teeth.

"If I was," Dorian answers. "I wouldn't be here. I'd be behind bars, and the boss would've left me in there to rot."

She shakes her head. "I saved a criminal from being eaten alive!"

"Oh my God!" Dorian yells. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"Do you realize what they do?" Ashleigh asks. "How many neighborhoods I had protected from them?"

"Well, I didn't know you had areas to look after. But other than that, I'm not stupid!"

"Then why did you join them?"

"I wanna to go to college," Dorian simply puts. "My Munny was for school."

She looks outside of his room. She hears Nadine call her name and she rises up off the bed. "If you say who you really are," Ashleigh says defiantly. "Show me. Don't. Tell. Me."

She walks out of his room with arched brows. Dorian sighs and asks himself, "Prove my worth? It's out there, you just gotta look."

Dorian gets up and then treads against the shag carpeting to the bathroom. He closes the door behind him, and then lifts the seat of the toilet. He huffs when emptying himself. He hears a splash from the tub. He looks down, but there was hot, still water. He shrugs and then flushes. "Maybe Romeo's about to take a bath," Dorian whispers when he sidesteps to the sink. He turns the faucet and hears more splashing.

He peers inside the shower stall to find the water moving, but no one in it. Dorian swashed his hands in the warm water again. The water shook, and slowly took form of a ball. Dorian shrieks and jumps back!

Then the water ball opens its wide, single toothed mouth and says, "You put dirty hands on me!"

Dorian couldn't believe what he heard. A squeaky voice escapes from the water ball. Dorian stands back up, clutching the doorknob.

"What're you so scared of?" the thing asks Dorian.

"You!" Dorian says to it. "Being big enough to eat my legs! I had my fair share of monsters for one week!"

"Monsters?" the blue ball asks. "You must mean whatever that thing bit you. Lizzy told me everything about you. You're like a hero!"

The ball sees Dorian bolt out of the bathroom and runs downstairs into the family room. Sidney peeks from the kitchen, eating a granola bar.

"You're up and running," Sidney says. "And you're panting? What happened?"

"BEACHBALL!" Dorian points to the bathroom. "There was that thing! It just… it, it's–"

"Is that any way to treat your guests," she raises her brow. "Especially royalty?"

"What about someone invading your private space, like using the bathroom?" Dorian retorts.

"Did you knock?" She asks.

"The door was WIDE open!" Dorian says. "And what royalty?"

"Him," she points at Dorian's right leg. He looks down, to see the ball clutch onto his leg as if a child would. Then his form shapes into small child. He wasn't a simple blue ball any more. His skin is greenish-yellow and scaly, but he felt warm to touch. He's grown twisty, soft, blonde hair. His nose is short and button-like. His ears are similar to fish fins with double piercings on each side. He wears a pair of black lycra pants. His body is shaped similar to an eight-year-old boy's. When he opens his eyes, he has two pairs of lids: the outer pair opening vertically and the thin pair opening diagonally. His eyes reveal yellow sclera and burgundy pupils.

"You believe me?" the boy said, still with the same voice.

"A fish-man?" Dorian asks him. Dorian sits on the stairs with the boy still clutched on his leg. "Are you the guest Lizzy was talking about?"

"Yes?" the boy answers. "My name is Blusiel Upton Eggy… the XV. But you all can call me Blue."

"The fifteenth?" Dorian and Sidney ask him.

"Wait," Dorian asks him. "I still don't get how you're royalty. You, in some way, related to any one who has the throne?"

"Not to the humans on the surface, no," Blue says. "I came from another race called the Maarbel."

"The who?" Dorian asks him. And then Romeo comes in romping while Lizzy rides on him. He jumps off and pats Romeo on the side of his belly.

"Maybe if you haven't run off doing chores," Lizzy says, "I would've told you a little further about Blue's race."

"Why bother?" asks someone who crawled out the corner behind the couch. He came out of the shadows and it was another lizard, well, a purple lizard-man! He folded his arms. He stood about Dorian's height. He wore army style shorts and nothing else.

"He wouldn't want to bother learning about another race."

"Jade?" Dorian asks the lizard man. "We've been through this. Just because I want you to stay out of human contact other than us, doesn't mean I'm a xenophobe."

"Big brother," Lizzy says to Jade. "He's right. No one was as accepting of us back home than the people we're surrounded with now. This world isn't ready to see us, yet."

"Who knows what could happen?" Dorian says. "One slip up and our neighbors would probably call animal control, or worse. The military!"

"I'm not holding my breath," Jade says. "Even if the Schumanns' garden is a lot like our home."

Lizzy looks between Dorian and Jade: Jade is leaner and more toned than Dorian, which makes him capable of climbing trees quickly and leaping from them. Dorian is more thicker and less toned than Jade, but still strong enough to ram against a tree and break one and suffer no serious injury. An athletic build made for agility and speed, and an athletic build made for strength and endurance.

"From all the stories I've heard," Jade says, "You're strong."

"Maybe," Dorian says. He widens his eyes and looks at Lizzy angrily. Lizzy then shrugs his shoulders as he nervously smiles.

"We should spar someday," Jade says to Dorian. "After you heal up, of course."

When Jade walks into the kitchen, Dorian kneels down and whispers to Lizzy, "What the hell else did YOU tell them?"

"Nothing serious," Lizzy sweats out. "If it makes you feel any better, I have taken the liberty to install a new radio system in your car."

"So you like doing things to my stuff without asking me first?" Dorian asks.

"Now hold on," Lizzy explains. "I heard my propulsion shoes were a big success. After removing the bullet, I've installed the system. Well, Matt and I did."

"Yeah," Matt snuck from the kitchen. "Works just like a police blotter, dude. And you can pick up any frequency."

"I mean it's nice," Dorian compliments Lizzy. "But do we actually need a police blotter?"

"You may never know when would be a good time," Lizzy shrugs. "And the paper you saw earlier," he says as he climbs to Dorian's shoulder. "Were lab results of the crystals we've found days ago. Something you've wanted to hear about?"

"For a minute," Dorian says with a hint of satisfaction. "Where are they?"

"Third from the top stair," Lizzy directs Dorian to the staircase. He leaps climbed up the stairs to the top step. He pulls a tab of the carpeting to reveal a combination lock safe. He turns the dial twice to 01, and then swirling to 26, and stops on 11. He pulls the lever down and the door swings open.

"You can pull the tray out," Lizzy says. He hops back onto Dorian.

"And just put this on the table?" Dorian asks. "I'm still not sure about this."

"It's fine," Lizzy relaxes Dorian. "I've checked for radioactivity dozens of times, and they all came back negative."

"I'll take your word for it," Dorian says as he gently places the box on the table.

"Gang's all here," Dorian says when he sees seated from right Nadine, Matt, Ashleigh, Sidney, Blue, Jade, and Romeo seated at the foot.

Lizzy's stands erect upon Dorian's shoulder and says, "Glad every one is here."

"Why's that?" Matt asks.

"Sidney and I found these in our backyard," Lizzy goes on. "Beige and I ran several kinds of tests on these crystals."

"What did you find out about them?" Nadine asks.

"They're precious gems imbued with cosmic rays and elemental energy," Lizzy states.

No one had any idea of what he is talking about. "We've examined the ray particles on the crystals. They've originated outside of the solar system," Lizzy says. "Thirteen million light years away!"

"That's far!" Blue says.

"I'm even more shocked that they're still intact," Ashleigh comments.

"What about the elemental energy part?" Jade asks.

Lizzy jumps off and uses a remote to activate a ceiling projector. He presses one button to slide down a screen. He presses another button to put his discoveries on screen.

"When it came to elemental energy," Lizzy says. "It was rather… mind-boggling. I've video-recorded something we saw on a microscopic level. The first one is the red one, which has fire running ablaze at the edges, at ever corner. And yet, it was warm to touch."

He scrolls to the next slide. It shows the light cyan gem, but there was nothing in there. "You'll see nothing in here, " Lizzy explains. "But, if I turn this audio on–"

The sound of hurricane force winds pierces every ear! Lizzy quickly jumps to the next slide: the blue gem with water waves constantly crashing and waning .

The next slide features the dark green gem: a lush entanglement of flowers, roots, branches, and vines.

The next slide features the yellow one: lightning dances and discharges against the surface.

The next slide features the violet gem: it seems like abysmal nothingness, but surprises everyone when the "abyss" pulsated.

And the last slide features the orange gem: stacked rocks cracking under pressure and then reforming like a tectonic plate, and then forms into sand.

"They look like natural forces contained inside, don't they?" Lizzy asks them. "Blazes, hurricanes, tsunamis, overgrowth, storms, cataclysm, tremors, you name it!"

"So you're saying that with all of that power, there could be a chance that we could," Sidney asks. "I don't know, get superpowers maybe?"

Lizzy crosses arms and looks up to think. He looks back at her and says, "I haven't even got THAT far into our research. I've only tested them to see if they were safe to wear. And see what was inside."

"So, they're duds?" Dorian asks.

"Anything's possible," Lizzy suggests. "Who knows? Maybe these jewels could provide you superpowers. Hopefully, not cosmically mutated just like the Fantastic Four."

Nadine picks up the forest green colored jewel, "I love this shade of green. I feel as if there is a spirit inside."

Matt chooses the gold yellow colored jewel, "This is awesome! This reminds of some of the sunny days back in Oaktown."

Then Blue reaches for the blue colored jewel and said, "I can literally hear the water sloshing in there."

Then Jade picks the violet colored jewel, "Shiny! It matches my scales."

"So vain," Sidney says as she selects the red colored jewel and said, "It feels so warm!"

Dorian places the box down so Romeo could pick any of the jewels up with his mouth. He pulls out the cyan colored jewel and jumps on Sidney, begging her to fasten it on his collar.

Dorian was last to pick the orange jewel up, "This may not be as pretty as the others but it still shines." Everyone picked a crystal to protect, except for Ashleigh. Poor girl felt left out from the circle of friends.

"Hold on," Dorian finds another component to the jewel box. He pulls out a secret component on the right. "There's one more!" Dorian didn't notice that there was another piece of jewelry sitting below the elemental gems. He also found a piece of paper blanketing the necklace fell to the floor. The paper revealed a figurine, carved well to resemble a partially nude woman's body. "Is this that agate necklace our uncle Greg kept going on about when he visited the Egyptian tombs a long time ago?"

"What agate necklace?" Ashleigh asks Dorian.

"Oh, it's just treasure my uncle found back then," Dorian hangs it high for her to see it.

"It looks like it was meant for women to wear," Ashleigh holds onto it.

Dorian lets her hold the piece when he picks up paper and reads what his great-uncle wrote:

"To my nephew, Dorian Benedict,

Queen Nefertiti was one of the most powerful rulers long ago, and the most beautiful woman of the North Nile. I found this when I was on an expedition in 1955, touring through the desert. I found this buried in the sand, and in near perfect condition! I think this is agate, or chalcedony or something. But one of the tour guides found it to be a rare artifact, with mystical powers of the ancient gods of Old Egypt. Something else I found astonishing was that there was a very tiny cross or ankh she was wearing. Be careful bringing this out in public, there are a few treasure hunters out looking for this "Nefertiti of Agate."

Sincerely, your Great Uncle,

Gregory Sinclair McDonald"

After reading the note Dorian asks, "How do you feel?"

"I'm feel fine," Ashleigh adjusts her new jewelry. "It's funny, Nefertiti was my nickname when I was a senior at St. Karen's."

"You don't say," Dorian says in fear that she might glow like an Egyptian Goddess.

"What's wrong?" Ashleigh asks Dorian.

"Nothing's wrong," Dorian says with a straight face.

"Why is she wearing it now?" Dorian thought. "Well, she did say that she wants me to prove that I'm not a Bloody Black Rain anymore. At least it looks good on her."

The rain pours heavily and everybody is asleep. The thunder jolts Dorian himself awake and turns to read his clock, 6:15 am. Romeo lies by the steps, nose front and wide-awake. He starts growling. Something outside is riling him up. Dorian's heart races as he gets out of bed and slowly crept downstairs and asks Romeo, "What's wrong?"

Any animal acting the way he does for two minutes knows that chaos is near. His barks rise to howls! Dorian runs to the windows in the dining room and peeks outside, but no one was there!

Dorian stands from the window and the dog's still howling. His heart races even faster.

"WAKE UP CALL, MOTHERFUCKER!"

Lit bombs hurl through the glass windows! Dorian and Romeo run, but the blast catches them! Romeo escapes with no injuries. Dorian isn't lucky. A chunk of the plaster wall undoes Dorian's healing shoulder, the same one where he was shot and bitten.

He groans and screams. His vision blurs from the smoke. Dorian zeroes out Romeo's barking to hear wicks sizzling. Through the smoke, he sees more bombs tossed towards the front hall. Dorian scrambles to shield Romeo from the blast! The front walls are obliterated, and the house is turned into a warzone! Romeo whimpers and keeps a slumping Dorian from falling over. He gathers his senses and stands back on his feet. Snipes enters the destroyed vicinity, along with Tank, Ronin, Doctor Meff, Madison, and Evelyn!

"Nice crib you got," Snipes mocks him.

"You have to admit, though," says Doctor Meff. "Ain't no way he would've survived that!"

"We thought the bombs would've killed you on the spot," says Tank. He sees blood dripping from Dorian's elbow, from his shoulder.

Dorian remains unfazed, even though he may not move his left shoulder much. "If ya'll wanted me dead, you're doing a terrible job," Dorian says. Then Romeo walks up to Dorian, growling and bearing his teeth against the six intruders.

"What's that bitch going to do to us?" asks Ronin.

Then Sidney treads from her room asking, "Are these the people that gave you trouble, Dorian?"

"Best believe it," says Dorian. "It's them."

"Who do you think you're kidding, booboo?" Madison laughs. "The three of you against the six of us!"

"No," Sidney says as Ashleigh, Matt, Jade, Nadine, and Blue walked out, armed with household items. Lizzy flew in his homemade battle suit.

"Us nine vs. you six," Lizzy shouts. Evelyn and Madison pull their pistols out, ready to fire! Until Jade rears his head back and lashes his tongue out and whips the guns out of their hands. "I'll take these two," Jade yells as he sprawls into action.

Tank steps up and looks down on Lizzy, Sidney, and Matt. Nadine didn't look sure as Blue stood small axe to katana against Ronin. Romeo snarls as he and Ashleigh stare at Doctor Meff. Dorian faces against Snipes. An angry Dorian ran up towards Snipes as he leaped onto him with a grapple! They both fall into the pitch-black room dowstairs!

Blue makes an impressive effort fighting off Ronin. However, his valiant effort is cut short when slices one his axes. Nadine finds one bladed edge and throws it like a shuriken. Ronino swings his blade behind and deflects it. Ronin turns around to cut Nadine in two, but she ducks under to avoid the strike.

Blue spots his bladed half of his axe. "Throw me to him," Blue tells Nadine.

"You've one more ax," Nadine yells at him.

"Look," he points at the blade. Nadine agrees and picks him up by the feet. Ronin grips his katana tightly and charges at them. She swings him as she was trying out for shot put! She releases him! Blue swings his ax against Ronin's katana. Nadine picks up the blade again. Ronin crosses his blades to deflect Blue upwards. His eyes widen and felt something stuck on his throat. The blade is wedged between his Adam's apple and a muscle. He makes the mistake of removing the blade. He approaches them, but groans and then faints by their feet.

Matt and Tank wrestled each other until Tank kicks him in the groin.

"You're days are numbered, Apache," Tank taunts him when he approaches him. Lizzy flies around him like an angry bee and Tank tries swapping at him!

He flies away and shoots him in the cheek and ears. Sidney swings her staff around until Tank catches it. He waves his first finger and then punches her in the gut.

Matt recovers and sees Sidney roll into a ball. Matt attempts to grapple Tank. But Tank breaks Matt's hold.

"We've been through this," Tank taunts Matt as he struggles to release himself. Sidney gets back up and grabs her staff to smack Tank in the back! The sharpness of the attack makes Tank let go of Matt and chases Sidney Lizzy flies behind him and fires a charged beam at Tank! Tank turns to Lizzy flying, and then Matt lands a haymaker! Tank turns around looking to murder. He stands but crumbles to his knees and collapses entirely!

Madison's claws never reach Jade, for he is much faster than her. Until Evelyn jumps from behind and grabs his tail!

"Big Mistake," he says. He waves himself around to Madison's way until Evelyn lets go. Then he shows them how big his claws are! He swings his claws at them! They evade him until her face is clawed on the left side and he tail-whips her ankle and makes her trip. Evelyn is backed up with a stick and charges at him! Jade spews acid at the stick, and it melts away in her hands. He claws her on the right side on her face and makes her trip the same way to Madison.

Doctor Meff struggles terribly after his defense breaks multiple times from Ashleigh's kicking! He has one more trick: a large bomb bag with a large amount of bloodroot! He lights it up, Ashleigh steps to him with but backs off when she saw the explosive. She also sees Romeo behind Meff. "Don't do anything you might regret," she says.

He responds, "Ready to burn, bitch?" He holds it in front of her as if he was going to throw it at her face! The wick is almost out, and Romeo leaps up to bite his arm!

"Shit," Romeo makes Meff let go of the bag. Ashleigh picks up Romeo as Meff panics. He picks up his last report weapon to throw it out, only for it to explode in his face!

The family room is dark. A force knocks Dorian back against the glass door. Snipes grabs his head. He slams him against the door. Dorian opens the curtains to reveal Snipes. He grabs Snipes and throws him against the glass door, breaking it open and crashing outside!

Ashleigh flies downstairs, and then outside to witness the brawl. Dorian steps up to Snipes, grabs his shirt and says to him silently, "What is happening now is why Santiago liked me better than you. Come to think, I almost miss what it was like being a Bloody Black Rain."

Then Snipes yells, "But you really don't miss us!" He swings at Dorian's left shoulder, where the bite and bullet wounds are trying to heal. Dorian throws Snipes to the ground. Snipes gets up quickly and grabs Dorian's neck!

Dorian socks Snipes twice at his cheekbone! Every one else runs outside to witness the fight in the rain. Ashleigh backs up a little and says to every one else, "This is his fight."

Dorian put too much effort into his last punch. Something rips inside, causing him to bleed faster! The bullet wound reopened! Dorian tries to tolerate the pain as Snipes stands and laughs. Dorian looks up as Snipes pulls a device from his pocket. It looked as if it was a combat knife. The handle is eight inches long. Snipes flicks his wrist to flip the blade out the same length. The moment Dorian looks up, he has enough time to at least catch Snipes' hand with the long knife. But as his strength falls, Dorian cannot hold back the strike! Every one cringed as Snipes stabs Dorian twice in the chest, and the third time through his heart! Dorian falls on his back shouting expletives in pain!

Ashleigh flies towards, colliding into each other. She rolls off and stands up clutching her arm. Snipes looks at her face. "Still haven't changed much?" She asks Snipes.

Dorian makes a gurgling sound as he spat blood. He whispers, "You two know each other?"

Snipes walks to Dorian and asks, "Still alive? Stay in your lane."

"May as well be," Dorian barely breathes. "Long enough to know that… you fucked up." Dorian coughs up more blood, "She wants… truth. She wants… trust. She deserves… m-more than… just a goddamn… lowlife!"

"What makes you any better?" Snipes asks him. "Especially when we sent Vixen and Eye-Candy over to you. Now," Snipes calmly brings a jet-black pistol. "Kindly shut the fuck up and die," Snipes says and fires at Dorian's skull.

Sidney screams at the sight the execution. Blue is horrified to see a brand new friend he met only a few hours ago die. He shut his eyes and screams in agony! Romeo runs past Snipes then in front of Ashleigh. He stands in front of her and snarls at Snipes. Jade follows suit, only protecting Dorian's lifeless body.

"You two want some of this?" Snipes asks. Romeo leaps and bites Snipes' arm! Romeo manages to rip skin, but Snipes aims the chamber at the poor dog's eye, killing him instantly.

Ashleigh has Snipes' full attention. So many tears run down her face, her vision went blurry. She shakes her head to regain focus. She jabs the air. Snipes feels a forceful gust flowing in his eyes. She jabs again, now the gust of air travelled faster, thus hitting Snipes harder. However, he didn't seem phased that the last gust of wind, which made his nose bled. He corrects his posture and steps toward a frightened Ashleigh. She continuously jabs the air, sending gusts onto Snipes. No avail, he absorbs every gust and kept moving forward. Every step he took his eyes widen with intensity. She stands her ground as Snipes comes close as one foot apart.

"After what I've done for you," Snipes questions Ashleigh. "You still don't want to be with me?"

"I would have stayed," she answers as she clenched her fist. "If you weren't bat-shit crazy," she tries jabs at him, but he cunningly dodges and slits her throat!

"Ashleigh," screams Lizzy. She holds her neck with both of her hands, but her effort to stop the blood gushing out was futile. Her eyes looks sleepy and collapses on the soil.

"You despicable beast!" yells Jade.

"Beast," says Snipes. "Beast, you say?" He laughs as the thunder rolled and lighting stroke! "No. I am the Devil," he calmly says.

Matt and Nadine recover Dorian's body. Matt begins to tremble, thinking back to his middle school days with Dorian. "No, no, no, no, no, NO," Matt slowly loses his grip. He gets up quickly and charges for Snipes!

"THAT WAS MY FRIEND, YOU BASTARD!" Snipes turns around with a back kick, knocking the wind out of Matt. Matt crashes on his back and Snipes jumps and lands on his feet, pounding Matt's chest.

Jade lashes out his tail and swings against Snipes. Snipes ducks then swipes the knife at Jade's thigh, slitting him until reaching Jade's ribcage! Jade hisses and shrieks until Snipes shoots Jade in the chest!

Snipes looks over to where Blue, Sidney, Lizzy, and Nadine onto Dorian's body.

He says to the deceased Dorian, "Now you can't have what was yours. The dream, the girl, the living."

Dorian slowly opens his bloodshot eyes. His vision was blurry until it straightens out on its own. He gasps his first breath. Sidney and Blue look down, freaks out, and jumps back hugging each other and screaming at each other.

At first his sense of feeling was gone, but feels everything happening now: the cold rain of the early morning, his shoulder torn from Heartless teeth and bullets, three fresh puncture wounds to his chest and a hole going through his skull! He slowly rises to his feet, as a zombie. His sense of hearing returns when he heard every one gasping at his resurrection!

Nadine says, "Y-your pupils, t-they're blank!"

His orange jewel hangs off a thin chain, shining bright earthly tones. Snipes stares into the light, "The fuck is this!"

The light dims as Dorian looks at Snipes as he held the bloody knife and the gun. Dorian looks to the ground to find Jade slit and shot, Romeo shot, Matt clutching his ribcage, and Ashleigh laying in her own pool. Dorian's mouth bares red-stained teeth. The jewel that dimmed before now shone brilliantly than before! Memories, both good and bad rushed back and forth in Dorian's mind. He cries and then screams into madness!

Matt gets himself up to his knees and sees Dorian's pupils. He never saw Dorian in so much pain and so much anger. Matt's skin flushed with goosebumps and rolled to the patio, having the table help him up to his feet. Matt clutches on his ribs, truly afraid to watch Dorian lose his shit! The light swirled around Dorian and surrounds him in a light tunnel and an earthquake occurred! The stab and bullet wounds by Snipes and other injuries inflicted on him rapidly heal. His clothes are renewed, and the energy cleanses him. Then the energy swirl dropped as it revealed Dorian, glowing in a dark-orange aura: clenched fists, his eyes flashed a frenzied red, and his skin steaming with vengeance!

Dorian steps to Snipes, "You killed me! You've had what you've wanted! And then you killed them! They're all innocent," Dorian clenches his teeth. Dorian grabs Snipes' shirt and roars at him, "IT WAS ME YOU WANTED!"

Snipes says to him, "And I HAD my wish until that thing around your neck woke you up! They got in my way. No need to bitch about it."

Dorian brings Snipes close to his face and head butts Snipes' nose bridge. Snipe dawdles backwards, holding his broken nose. He points his knife at Dorian, Snipes charges towards Dorian.

"How many times I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF?" Dorian brings up his fist and cocks it back. "DON'T! FUCK! WITH! ME!"

"It's your funeral," Snipes laughs.

Matt looks around, hearing a little beeping sound from Lizzy. "What else can your suit do, Lizzy?" asks Matt.

"I've built a scanner in the helmet. It can detect heat and energy and measure how much energy is being exerted from an object or living thing," Lizzy says.

The beeps are reached another octave. "What's going on?" Matt asks. "Something's putting out a lot of power!"

"Not something," says Lizzy. "Someone!" He presses a button on the right and starts to measure power. "If I remember the charts for my scanner correctly, natural things like trees or cats have an average exertion between 100 to 900. Average humans tend to exert from 300 to 700, with 1000 being the maximum of course."

"So what about two black dudes fighting each other?" Matt asks.

Lizzy calculates the measurements, "Both of them are high off the charts! Snipes' energy exertion rate was at 900 after killing Dorian. Now he's sitting between 1200 - 1300 energy level."

When he switches to Dorian, he gasps at the result. "Before he died he read around 1100. Mind you that was when he was severely injured. After his crystal flashed and when he was inside that light column, I thought I read 1200! Right now he's at 1550, wait… 1899… 1989… 2000! He's still going! 2300… 2700… 2900…"

Sidney asks, "Lizzy! What does your scanner say about Dorian's power level or whatever you call it?"

He pauses and then shouts, "It's over three thooousaaaand!"

"WHAT, THREE THOUSAND?" Blue shouts. "There's no way that can be right, CAN IT?"

"I think it's right," says Lizzy. "My scanner says 3350!"

Snipes aims his pistol at Dorian. Dorian swats every bullet, as if they were mosquitoes. As he ran out of ammo, Snipes throws the gun down and swings the knife at Dorian. Dorian dodges and takes the knife by the blade from Snipes and threw it across the yard.

"What?" Snipes retorts, "You crazy?"

He throws punches and kicks and Dorian takes all the hits. It seems the more Snipes punches Dorian the more hurt Snipes is. Dorian grabs Snipes by his shirt and throws him across the yard. Next, Dorian punches the ground and made it ripple and rockets a column of dirt right where Snipes was into the air. Then, Dorian leaps at Snipes and lands a few hits while in midair.

After seven hits, Dorian grabs Snipes neck and asks him, "Does this look familiar to you?" All the noise Snipes made are gurgling sounds and wincing. Dorian slams Snipes back down to the ground hard! Snipes coughs and found he landed in mud. He gets up and left dirty and broken!

Snipes turns at Dorian and says, "You've been through the storm and the cold rain, don't think our score will remain," and walks off as the other Bloody Black Rain carried themselves away to Snipes.

"There's more to do," Dorian's red eyes returned to normal. He glances over at Romeo, Jade, and Ashleigh. "If this crystal brought me back to life, can it do the same for them?" His crystal's essence flowed from his fingertips as he leans over the corpses.

"Dude," Matt taps his shoulders, "They're gone. Even you coming back from the Great Beyond is nothing short of a miracle."

"Let me," Dorian says to Matt, "finish." Matt backs off as Dorian uses his jewel to revive Jade first. The large stab wound was sealed, and Jade gasps as if he awoke from a bad dream.

Romeo's right eye was ruined by the bullet and damaged the right side of his brain. Dorian's jewel's essence restored his brain and the wound. The dog whimpers, running in his sleep, and then jumps up out from his sleep, and then hits the bushes.

_Last one is Ashleigh. I never thought I would cry as much seeing her dead. Yes, I have a crush on her, since that night. I do have feelings for her. I just don't want our relationship to be platonic. But, she's doesn't owe me anything and she is free to do as she pleases. Free to choose as she pleases. I don't know if she still wants a relationship after what I've heard between her and Brandon. Maybe she'll be grateful. _

"I'm thinking too much," Dorian whispers. With his jewel's essence, the dusts seal her wounds. She slowly awakens with a gasp, "What… happened?" She felt her neck sealing away the wound she received from Snipes, and felt no scar.

"Shh," Dorian kneels to her and sniffles. "You're alive!"

Dorian turns around and everyone was looking at him mouth agape. He dries his tears when Lizzy flies close to him and says, "That was… PHENOMANAL! How did you do that?"

"It just happened," Dorian shrugs.

Matt says while giving Dorian skin, "You came through, dude!"

Then Ashleigh sneaks a peck kiss on Dorian's cheek. "Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?" Dorian asks.

"Now we can start being friends again," she says.


	7. Tartarus

Chapter 6: Tartarus

Lizzy hovers in front of Dorian, inspecting his jewel. "In all honesty," Lizzy says. "How did you manage to activate it?"

"I don't know," Dorian answers. "When I saw their dead bodies, I just lost it!"

"You really did," Nadine says. "But, do you remember when you were stabbed?"

"I did feel it," Dorian answers. "And I did die."

"Then how are you still alive?" Sidney asks.

"Perhaps some unusual resurrection properties," Lizzy says. "What do you think, Ashleigh?"

She crosses her arms, thinking. "In Vodun religion," she says. "I don't think a dead guy would be brought back to life wearing a space rock. Maybe Matt may know something?" He hears her, but is too busy staring at the sky.

"Matt?" she repeats.

"I don't know any Ohlone stories about zombies," Matt says. "Or anything about black dots in the sky…"

Nadine also looks up to see the black dot passing the sun. "All I see is a jet," she says.

"Do jets just stop like that?" Matt asks. "In the middle of the sky?"

"Impossible!" Lizzy says, "Jets don't suddenly stop in the middle of travel. Nor do they nosedive into a straight line immediately."

Every one else looks up. Matt comments, "I don't think that's a jet!" The black dot became larger upon approaching! "GANG WAY!" Matt shouts. "TAKE COVER!"

They scramble behind the wall, the shed, and the patio table! The unidentifiable object crashes towards the earth with astounding force! Smoke and gravel fly upon impact. Every one screams as the earth rumbles from such a blow. The rumbling stopped and the smoke clears. The impact left underground pipes busted and gallons of water gushing out. The electric poles are leaning and the wires are drooping.

"What was that?" Blue asks Sidney.

"A meteor?" Sidney asks.

As the smoke blows over, Blue peeks from behind the wall to see an entity trudging from the wreck. His eyes widen as he attempts to scream, but Sidney muffles him quickly.

Jade lays on top of the shed, spying closely on him. "What do you see," Nadine asks behind the shed. Romeo also hid behind the shed.

"What matter of demon is this?" Jade hisses.

"Get a load of his arm," Matt describes to Ashleigh. "Is that an eel?"

"A dragon?" Ashleigh asks back. "That hair, though. We don't have dyes that could make our hair that red."

"The wings remind me of when I read God kicked Lucifer out of heaven," Sidney says to Blue.

"Who's Lucifer?" Blue asks.

"The Devil," Sidney asks.

"And its feet?" Lizzy asks. "They're like horse's. I say it's not a benevolent extraterrestrial," Lizzy whispers. "What do you think, Dorian? Dorian?"

Dorian left behind a dotted line, indicating he's gone. "He was just here," Lizzy says.

"WHAT IS HE DOING?" Nadine panics when she saw Dorian approach the alien.

"FUCKING IDIOT," Matt hisses from behind the propped table. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Do you think he stands a chance?" Blue asks Sidney. "Even though that monster is taller than he is?"

The alien-demon stands two feet taller than Dorian's 5'9". "What do you want, human?"

"You tell me," Dorian raises his voice. "You've crashed on my property and left big-ass crater! YOU tell me what you want!"

"I see your kind is very rude," the alien said. "Nonetheless, I am Tartarus."

"From Greek mythology?" Lizzy asks Matt and Ashleigh.

"While in my waking minutes," Tartarus explains. "I've felt the presence of strong hearts. Eight in this area! You wouldn't happen to have a strong heart, would you?"

"Eight hearts?" Ashleigh asks. She remembers the time when the Super Shadow almost ate Dorian. "He's a Heartless, too?"

"You're not making any sense," Dorian raises his voice once again. "What does this have to do with you lading here?"

Tartarus pays no mind of his own intrusion. However, he sees Dorian's jewel dangle on a thin chain. At first, the brightness captivates Tartarus. And then he stares at the jewel, reminiscing back to when he was fighting the soldiers who wore those jewels. He felt every punch and every blast through his body.

"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU, SLICK!" Dorian shouts at Tartarus.

The alien reacts violently and lunges at Dorian's neck with his dragon-shape arm. He picks him and asks back at Dorian, "Where did you get them?"

Dorian gurgles as he struggles from the dragon's jaw grip. "WHERE DID YOU GET THEM?" Tartarus shouts.

"Screw," Dorian manages to grip the jaws. He slowly pulls them away from his neck. And then hears the bones breaking in the jaw. "YOU," Dorian frees himself and winds up for a devastating haymaker! Tartarus is knocked back into the neighbor's yard! Every one else came out of hiding to see if Dorian needs any help.

"Asshole!" Dorian says when he turned around.

Tartarus flies up and opens his dragon's mouth. The mouth spews black fire at him!

"LOOK OUT!" Sidney jumps in front of the blast. Her jewel is unknowingly activated by the attack. It shines a bright red and raises a "firewall," protecting her and Dorian.

"I've been locked away for two thousand years," Tartarus says in a booming tone. "I wanted my world to flourish. I almost had what I wanted, until those fools who wore the same jewels sealed me away!"

"You wanted to help your world?" Sidney asks him. However, he gave no answer.

"Or conquer it?" Matt asks him. "What do you really want from us?"

"On my former world," Tartarus explains. "My people were satisfied with the way they lived! When I said it was time to rise up and shape an empire, the senate passed by my ideals as ludicrous! They were foolish because I envision an empire: enslave worlds, develop warfare, and spread fear across the galaxy! So to make my point clear, I've killed the Senator Emeritus."

Lizzy looks upon Tartarus' face, grinning like a madman!

Matt and Blue look at Dorian with furrowed eyebrows and widened eyes. Blue says to Matt, "I'm not sure about this!"

Matt says, "Don't worry about it. I've known Dorian for a long time. This guy's crazy, but it's the kind of crazy that's the best chance for us!"

He looks to Tartarus, while he eyes on Matt's jewel. "I don't know how strong this Tartarus guy is. But, we'll come out on top! I know we will!"

Romeo creeps up to Sidney and growls at Tartarus.

"He scares me too, Romeo," she says.

Tartarus then scowls, "I sought for hearts that match my mine to carry my ambition! Asking you if you have a strong heart was a mistake! Still–"

He flies down fast, hoping to strike all of them at once! "I will not allow a new _Elemental Force_ to defeat me!"

"You sure?" Dorian curses at him. "Ugly dragon ass?" Tartarus brandishes his large arm at Dorian. He bends back as if performing limbo! Dorian falls on his back, but lifts himself by his hands. He swirls his legs under his hand and hits Tartarus' ankles!

"What's the matter?" Dorian mocks him. He spreads his legs and stands back up. Angered, Tartarus charges at him at over 40 mph!

"Maybe that jewel grants you endurance," Tartarus says. "However, it won't save you from me BREAKING YOU!"

Romeo leaps towards Tartarus and bites his dragon arm! "YOU DARE?"

"Romeo!" Sidney calls. "Rip him up!"

He tosses Romeo aside and aims the dark blaze at him! Sidney runs towards the dragon arm! Her feet catch on fire! Sidney kicks the dragonhead, changing the course of the blast!

Tartarus screams like a demon from hell, as he charges at Dorian again!

"_**Tekken Blocker!**_" Dorian crosses his arms and winces from the alien's physical prowess!

"Hey! Red-head," Matt hollers. "He's not the only human you got to deal with!" Matt jumps right into the scene and hammer-fists the dragonhead arm! Matt opens his guard too soon and Tartarus jumps and delivers a spinning roundhouse kick!

Dorian grabs Tartarus' neck, and slams him to the dirt! Tartarus chuckles and creates an energy field. It expands to bounce Dorian off! When the field faded, Romeo carried Blue and ran towards Tartarus. Blue stood on Romeo's back and jumps off. With his only axe, Blue swings up and puts a lot of force behind his attack. Tartarus slides until his back hits the fence.

"Your antics end here, boy," he threatens Blue. With might he pushes off Blue, sending him flying across the yard! Tartarus checks his dragonhead arm, and it bled purple ooze from the "neck."

Lizzy fires his lasers, "Hope you like concentrated ultra violet rays!"

"You think your toys will stop me?" Tartarus takes four steps forwards and fires onyx-toned energy beams from his eyes! Lizzy zips away, but is quickly shot down!

"That's my brother, babaca!" Jade yells at him. He dashes towards the alien and unsheathes his claws, "_**Rainforest Kenpo: Rain of Bloody Claws**_!"

"So I'll crush him like an insect," Tartarus says to lure Jade on. He only dodges Jade for so long until his dragon arm "bites" Jade's arm! Tartarus slams him twice, and throws him to the side!

"HA," Tartarus mocks them. "Where's your hubris? Perhaps the Elemental Jewels' powers are dormant. All except for Earth and Fire!"

"You forgot my powers!" Ashleigh shouts from a distance. A barreling howl of wind hits Tartarus' blind side. A mist shrouds him, and every one hears ice crackling.

"Ice cold cannot hold me," Tartarus trudges forward. One step he took, a thorny vine wraps around his ankle. Nadine smirks and shouts, "_**Rose Harness**_!"

"Vines?" Blue asks. "And ice?"

"Watch," she says to him. Ashleigh zeroes in on Tartarus and halts his movement.

Lizzy wakes up, shaking his head and squeals when realizes he was at the foot of Tartarus stops. Lizzy flies away before the vine entrap him. Vines continued to wrap around the alien until completely covering him!

"When did you learn to–" Dorian asks Nadine.

"Just a minute ago," Nadine says. "Now what do we do with him?"

"Can you toss him up?" Dorian asks as he pointed up.

"And then what?" she asks him.

"You'll see," Dorian says. She agrees and starts spinning with a frozen, entangled Tartarus. The velocity of the spinning snaps the vines, sending the alien east! Dorian has his eyes closed and then opens them up. He crouches and waves his hands back. He remembers when dreamed, he was able to shoot a sparkling, orange stream of energy from his hands. The energy flows from his crystal right into his hands.

"TOO AWESOME!" Matt yells. "How'd you do that?"

"I learned this while I was sleeping," Dorian answers. "Now! Garnet – Flash!"

Dorian releases the pent-up energy wave! Bright flashes blares in every corner in every one's eyes! The wave shoots for the frostbitten Tartarus, and shatters it completely!

"ALRIGHT!" Matt yells. "You did it!"

"YAY!" Blue cheers.

Ashleigh did bask in victory until she looks down at Lizzy. "What's wrong?"

"I think I skipped a beat," he says to her.

"Well," she says. "It was a close call."

"That's not what I meant," Lizzy checks his scanner. "He's… HE'S STILL HERE!"

Bewildered, Ashleigh looks up and screams, "LOOK UP!"

Every one did and sees Tartarus. He suffered from extreme burns. He snickers at first, but gains volume and guffaws boisterously!

"YOU," he bellows at them when he hovered. "You thought you've won?" He continued laughing until he unveils his secret, "Your 100% is laughable against my 20% of my potential!"

"That's bullshit," Dorian shouts as he barely stands.

Matt says to an ailing Dorian, "Dude, we've got trolled on! Dorian?"

"Watch," Tartarus says. He focuses and breathed as his wounds vanish under his skin! "I can heal myself in a short amount of time after a blast like that," he explains.

The alien smiles wickedly and says, "You think I bluff? I will show you my 100%!" Then he levitates in mid-air.

As he raises his arms, "Your world is mine! "_**TARTARIC VANGUARD**_!"

The perfect storm touches down in _Charm City_! The earth rips apart and more wires were torn from the poles! Wild lightning strikes across the skies and thunder rolls louder every second!

"So, _Elemental Force_," he announces. "You think you came close to stopping the Tyrant! Look what surrounds you all!"

"Dorian," yells Sidney. "Can't you fight back?"

Dorian falls back, feeling weak. He looks over to the broken glass to hear Beige cry for Lizzy. "Lizzy," she cries. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Tartarus found her slowly approaches her. She hisses in fear and vibrates her rattling tail.

"Such an amusing creature," he says. He felt Lizzy's laser shots. He turns around and bats Lizzy away violently into the sky. Ashleigh flies to rescue him and Romeo rushes by Beige to latch onto him.

"I don't think we can fight back," Matt says as Nadine, Romeo, Sidney, Jade, Blue, Ashleigh, and Lizzy stand by. Jade offers his claw, Dorian grabs hold and Ashleigh held tight to him as the two brace for the worst! And then, all of the crystals shined all at once. A wormhole opens and pulls them in!

"They're gone," Tartarus says as he flies further up. He calls off his chaotic storm. "But I can still sense my army, the eight hearts. Now to find my disciples!"


	8. The Badlands

Chapter 7: The Badlands

"UN," Snipe tirades. "FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!"

Tank carries Doctor Meff and Ronin's limp bodies. Evelyn and Madison traipse behind them.

"Beaten," Snipes says. "Twice–TWICE by the same motherfucker!"

"You remember seeing them things around their necks?" Tank asks Snipes.

Snipes remembers when he was pummeled by Dorian. He did see an orange jewel around his neck. "That's why we got our ass beat that time! Because he got suped-up by some fucking gem?" Snipes curses at Tank.

"It is true," Tartarus flies above them and lands in front of the Bloody Black Rain. "The _Elemental Jewels_ do gift the wielder power."

"Who the hell are you?" Tank asks him.

"I," the alien begins. "Am Tartarus. Do you six possess strong hearts?"

"What kind of question is that?" Snipes asks him. "So what if I do? How the hell would that help me and my crew?"

"The one you call 'D'Scourge," Tartarus says to them. "Possesses the Jewel of Earth. The rest of his group has not yet tapped their potential in the jewels. Kill them in my name."

"We don't fight for no one but the Bloody Black Rain," Snipes shouts defiantly at him. "Besides, what can YOU give us?"

Tartarus raises his dragon arm in the air. The head looks down at the miserable lot. "Submit to my will," Tartarus says. "And I will give you new strengths beyond what your human bodies are capable now!"

"And?" Tank asks.

"AND NOTHING," Tartarus shouts. "So will it be acceptance? Or oblivion?"

The dragon's eyes shine red and open its mouth. It breathes and exhales black fumes, surrounding and choking Snipes! "I accept," Snipes says. "I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS!" Snipes screams in agony until the fumes wisp to Tank, Doctor Meff, and Ronin, and finally to Evelyn and Madison.

"I am glad you have," Tartarus says. "You are allowed to keep your original names and your original title."

Snipes stands from his kneel: renewed clothes and his cognac colored eyes lightened to harvest gold. His ears did turn pointy, but it wasn't glaringly obvious as Evelyn or Madison's.

He turns around to find Doctor Meff and Ronin revived after the fumes touched them. They all share the same features: healed bodies, new clothing, pointed ears, and eyes differing in shades of yellow. Madison has the brightest and Doctor Meff has the darkest after he took off his shades.

"Behold," Tartarus announces. "My army!"

Outside the world of Charm City lays a barren land. The land promises nothing but craggy peaks, dry soil and deathly solitude. The sun sets on the horizon.

Dorian and every one else have landed on this lonely world.

"OW!" Dorian picks himself up. He looks around and thinks he is in a desert. "HEY! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?" Dorian screams.

"I'm right here," Dorian hears Sidney. He runs over to where he heard her. He gets there and she is covered in dirt.

"You're all right," Dorian says to her, helping her up. "A couple of bruises, but you're fine."

"I hit my head on a pillar," she says. "And Romeo couldn't stop sneezing." The dog jumps as he sneezed.

"I'm surprised he hasn't broken any bones after that fall," Dorian says.

"Neither have I. Especially in a place like this," she says. "We need to find the others."

"You think that'll bother us?" asks Dorian when he points up. There was an odd spacecraft hovering closer to the desert.

"Let's," Sidney suggests. "Keep moving."

"WOOH-boy," Lizzy squeaks with sorrow, "A rough ride to a craggy paradise."

"And tons of these things," says Beige as she comments on the vast field of weapons sticking up from the ground. "Thanks to Blue's jelly body, we landed safely."

Then Blue moans with a blade stuck in his melon. He looks up, pulls it out, and morphs into his fish-man form. "That gave me a splitting headache! Wait, where's Jade?"

Lizzy sees his bigger brother lay astride on a thorny bush and heard him cough. "I got sand in my eyes and in the unmentionable spots! Where are we exactly?"

"This place doesn't feel right to me," says Beige.

"Me neither," Lizzy says. "Maybe your father may say something about this place back in his war days." His scanner breaks when he touched it, "I'VE SPENT DAYS PUTTING THIS DEVICE TOGETHER!"

"You can always build another one, can you?" asks Blue.

"WE," Lizzy snarls. "Are stranded out in the middle of nowhere, and you're telling me I can always build another one? I NEED my materials, BLUE!"

"Chill lil' brother," Jade tries to calm him down.

Lizzy's stutters, "DON'T YOU T-TELL ME TO CH-CH-CHILL!"

"We can worry about that later," Beige says. "We need to find the others soon." Beige said.

"But where?" Blue asks.

"Dude," Matt landed into a sand dune. He gets out and brushes the sand off of him. "Hey! Hey, Nadine! Lizzy! Dorian? Ashleigh? Can anyone hear ME?"

"Dude," Matt says to himself. "I'm lost. I'm lost on MARS!"

Matt looks up a dead tree next to him. "I'm up here," yells Nadine.

"How'd you get up there," he asks.

"Don't play stupid with me!" Nadine shouts at him. "Get me down from here!"

Seeing he has no tool to get her down, "I'm going to have to shake you down."

"Make it quick," she squeals. He grabs the tree and vigorously shakes Nadine down. She falls… not in Matt's arms, but into a dirt dune.

He turns his head with a says, "Uh, you where supposed to land in my arms."

"You were facing the wrong way, you big lug," Nadine says.

"Sorry," he says when he blushed.

She brushes off the sand and says, "We need to find the others before it gets dark. Where's Nefertiti?"

"Who? The Queen of the Nile?" Matt asks. "She's long dead."

"ASHLEIGH'S DEAD AGAIN," she panics.

"Oh! You mean Ashleigh?" Matt asks. He does not realize that she is floating behind him. "I haven't seen her since we fell. I don't know where she is."

"She's an angel," Nadine lies to him. "Watching over you."

"Angel?" Matt was confused. "She can fly, but she doesn't have wings. Unless you're really telling me she's–" He turns around and Ashleigh says, "Boo!"

"SPIRITS!" Matt shrieks like an old lady and falls back in the sand!

Lizzy fiddles around with the remains of his suit. Tartarus smashed him terribly when rescuing Beige. He checks his compass application, and it still functions. Jade picks up his brother and Beige sits them on his head. Lizzy leads Jade, Beige and Blue through the canyons of this desert. These Badlands. Blue observes different skulls that lie against the canyon wall. It was never a pretty sight to find a weapon graveyard. Jade looks left and sees Matt, Nadine, and Ashleigh come from afar. Blue looks to his right and sees Dorian, Sidney, and Romeo walking up.

"These things," Jade picks his jewel up. "These things saved us somehow."

Sidney and Romeo look at each other as Lizzy fiddles with his suit.

"We don't even know what's happening to our world right now," Jade holds his head with both of his claws. "That Tartarus. He is truly a demon!"

"I blasted him and he said it was nothing!" Dorian raises his voice. "Nothing!"

"We've all tried our best," Nadine says.

"And now my cello is gone!" Sidney argues.

"Who cares about some big violin?" Matt asks.

"Excuse me?" Sidney raises her voice. "I've lost something here!"

"Sidney!" Blue says to her. "Look at the big picture! We've ALL lost everything!"

"Blue's right," Ashleigh agrees with him. "Look, he's away and we're here! Arguing about who lost what isn't going to help all of us how to get off of where we are now!"

Lizzy creeps to Jade's shoulder. "But the problem is– we don't have a vehicle to go anywhere!"

"You're foaming. Calm down," says Jade as he pins him.

Then the grayish skies darkened after the hour as if it were to rain! The Shadows leap out the dirt and into each other to form Super Shadows!

"Who wants stress relief therapy?" Matt asks everyone.

"Them again?" Dorian asks as he staggered. Then the Super Shadow turned its head to Dorian and charged towards him! "Hey, Jade! I didn't know you have martial art!"

"I made my Rainforest Kenpo years ago," Jade says. "And I'm damn good!"

"Still sure about that sparring match?" Dorian asks when a Super Shadow creeps behind him. Dorian sidekicks the Heartless and turns around to roundhouse kick it in the obliques. "Rhino," Dorian jumps up to strike its jaw with his knee, "CRUSH!"

Matt absorbs what was left of the sunlight. His jewel shines. "I think mine's activated," Matt says enthusiastically. "_**Sunshine Attack!**_" Matt's hands radiated into a bright light and blasts the energy waves into the Heartless.

Three Super Shadows swarm around Sidney as she backed herself into a canyon corner. Then Ashleigh swoops in close to blow ice-cold air onto them. When they halt, Sidney once again lights her feet on fire and kicks them into pieces.

"_**Rose Harness**_," Nadine raises roots to tie the Shadows down and squeeze the life out of them!

Blue activates his jewel's power and freezes the Heartless for Romeo to head-butt them and smash! After breaking in pieces, they melt away into a purple mist.

Jade dashes along with Romeo: slashing and slicing their way through the Heartless! Jade cuts down a Shadow and asks, "What's with these bastards?"

"LOOK OUT!" yells Lizzy. Two Super Shadows leap in the air, readying their attack. Jade turns around to see them, until a stray laser shot both of them out of nowhere! "Where did that come from?"

"Look up there," Blue says. "What is that?"

"It's that darn spaceship from before," Sidney says. "Why'd that followed us here?"

"It's probably Tartarus!" Dorian grits his teeth.

"WAIT!" Said an awkward voice from the spaceship. "YOU GOT US ALL WRONG!"

Every one of them looks at each other and then the spaceship. "WE'RE NOT TARTARUS!"

A duck-sounding gibberish voice yells. "WE'RE HERE TO HELP!"

"Help?" Sidney asks. "How do we know you're not really one his cronies?"

"Hang on!" The duck voice says over the intercom. "We'll beam you up!"

The spaceship opens its hatch and fires a type of tractor beam to pull every one of them in the cabin. One by one, all of them ended up inside the cabin. Not too cramming, but enough room to stand and stretch. Once all are in, they turn to the front of the cabin. Two pilots twist their chairs around to reveal themselves.

"Tartarus' goons wouldn't look like that," Nadine says, causing the duck and dog to collapse out of their seats!

"Is that any way of thanking us?" The duck wearing blue wizard clothes quacks at them furiously!

"Tartar Sauce?" the dog wearing partial knight's armor asks.

"He's not a food condiment," Lizzy says.

"Besides," Ashleigh says. "You haven't told us your names or even why you guys picked us up."

The duck and the dog look at each other and introduced themselves. The duck clears his throat and says, "I'm Donald Duck."

"The name's Goofy," the dog says. Then the two look at Dorian. "And he's got a Keyblade," Goofy says. Every one else looks at Dorian with discerning eyes!

"Key-what?" Dorian asks. "What?"


	9. The New Wielder

Chapter 8: The New Wielder's Deal!

Everyone in the cabin stares at Dorian, making him very uncomfortable. He backs in a wall of the ship. He anxiously laughs and says, "That look is kind of making me… nervous."

"Are you sure he has one?" Donald asks Goofy.

"I know," Goofy says. "It's like a revival of Keyblade wielders going on! But the King said that there was another wielder. But I'm not sure how the story went."

"You mention a king?" Lizzy asks.

"Well," Goofy announces. "We'll be arriving at the Disney Castle docks shortly. Hopefully, we can explain everything when we get there."

The duck picks up a transmitter, "Chip and Dale, do you read me?"

Squeaky voices spoke out of the transmitter, "We hear ya loud n' clear, Donald! We're opening up the bay doors now!"

The Gummi Ship, _Queen of Highwind_, breaks into the atmosphere. At first, the gang witnesses a large blue and white castle with a "mouse head" symbol on the front-most painted glass. "Prepare for decreased speed," Goofy preps Donald.

Donald flips a few switches and slowly pulls back the thruster, "Slowing down. Docking till 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." All hatches open and every one climbs out of the cabin. The eyes of the new travelers wonder across the gigantic room: whizzing gizmos, giant animatronic gloves roving back and forth on the ceiling, and looking to their right is a violet control tower.

"Welcome to Disney Castle," Goofy announces. "Well, the Gummi hangar anyway!"

"Daisy! We're home," Donald hollers for Daisy. A feminine duck his size wearing a fuchsia dress came running flat-footed downstairs towards Donald and gives him a warm hug.

"Donald," Daisy says. "I'm glad you're safe! I was worried you wouldn't come back."

"Aw, I promised I come back in one piece," he says sticking his thumb at Dorian and his friends. "We were just picking up some weird guys."

"Who're you calling weird?" Matt asks.

"Ah," Lizzy bows before Daisy. "I take it that you are the Queen of this land?"

"No I'm not," says Daisy.

"who are you?" Lizzy shouts back from a dubious position. Jade scoops him up and softly clasps his little brother in between his claws.

"Fácil, Lizzy," Jade says to Lizzy. Lizzy then hisses back at him. "Please, forgive my brother. We've lost our home to this evil creature of the dark!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Daisy offers her condolences. "I'm sort of the caretaker of this castle. Goofy is the Royal Major and Donald is the Court Headmaster."

"Okay," Ashleigh steps forward. "We sort of understood with the get-up you guys have on. But for the love of God, please tell us what's going on. Why have you brought us here?"

"You mean they didn't tell you?" Daisy narrows her eyes at Donald and Goofy. She sighs and says, "Please, if every one would come with me."

She turns around and walks forward. She turns right at the stairway, and steps up ward towards the control tower. The chipmunks Chip and Dale jump up toward the window to see where Daisy is taking the group. They step out from the doorway and in to the halls of the castle. Blue looks out of the colonnade to find large hedges, trimmed to shape band members playing different instruments.

"Wow," Blue whispers. He was yanked away by Sidney to catch up with the group. Daisy looks left and enters the second door. They enter a large library.

"Place is loaded," Matt says to Nadine.

Daisy stops at the golden fireplace. She puts her hands to together as if she was praying, and the jewel in her tiara shimmers. The fireplace also shimmers, pushes to the right slowly. They enter another room, not as vast as the docking bay. It features a round table with twenty seats and the generator at the middle of the table. Above it are luminescent lights, circling around the table. Behind the round table is a long computer screen, displaying different worlds with fancily erratic designs.

"This is our Conference Board," Daisy says. "Although we don't meddle with other world affairs, we do monitor at the ones that are close to us."

"I still don't know why y'all need our help," Dorian says impatiently. "Especially me! Why would you think I have this 'Keyblade?' Yeah, I had one in my dream, but that was just a dream."

Donald looks at Goofy. "I told you so," Donald says. Daisy shakes her head and ignores the two and finally explains why the _Elemental Force_ was rescued from the Badlands.

"Our King and Queen have been kidnapped!" Daisy says. Donald stops his tirade and turns to Daisy.

Goofy then tells the story, "We were planning a celebration banquet for one of our friends' return from serious training. Then all of the sudden, the power went out! Of course I couldn't see, but I felt a lance hit my shield."

"Someone tied me up in a bag," Donald remembers furiously. "And slammed me!"

"I also remember hearing swords clanging against each other in the dark," Daisy adds. "And Queen Minnie screaming!"

"And then what happened?" Dorian asks.

"As soon as the lights came back on," Goofy continues. "Negaduck carried King Mickey away, along with Mortimer carrying the Queen away, and the Phantom Blot holding up back! Donald, my son Max and his friend PJ, and I followed those thugs to their Gummi Ship! When they took off, Max threw his tracking device on there!"

"A banquet?" Blue asks. Romeo plops next to him and moans. "Sorry if I made you hungry," Blue apologizes to Romeo.

"Who were those three?" Sidney asks.

Daisy punches a few keys to show the images of the kidnappers. "They were kidnapped by these rogues."

"Negaduck," Daisy points. "A ruthless crime lord on his world who wants nothing more than power and destruction alone. He tried to take over his world before our former Lieutenant left here to save it.

"Mortimer Maus," Goofy says. "He used to be the castle's World Chancellor before he started muddling with the Phantom Blot in other worlds' affairs."

"Meddling," Donald corrects Goofy.

"Right," Goofy continued. "And lastly, the robed guy is the Phantom Blot. He went against the King every time he demanded the throne. He used schemes from playing tricks on our townspeople, even bringing armies of Unversed monsters!"

"The King locked him away a long time ago," Daisy says. "We weren't sure how Phantom Blot escaped his prison in the Lanes Between," Daisy says. "And what's worse he's released Mortimer, too."

"Okay," Ashleigh says. "Why can't you send Donald and Goofy to go find the King and Queen?"

"See there's a problem with that," Goofy says.

"Come again?" Ashleigh asks.

"They are able to," Daisy says. "But that means I'm left to protect the castle with Max and PJ, from Heartless!"

"Let me guess," Matt says. "Your King and Queen are sources of your castle's defense?"

"Absolutely," says Donald. "Our Queen is a smart spell caster! And our King is a splendid Keyblade master!"

"Somehow Negaduck and the others," Goofy says. "Gained a lot more strength to beat King Mickey and Queen Minnie! Now that they're gone, Daisy's doing all that she can to maintain the shields."

Dorian thinks to himself about his question. "What about our home?" He asks Daisy, Donald, and Goofy. His friends look at each other with looks: Sidney, Romeo, Ashleigh, and Lizzy are pleased while Jade, Beige, Nadine, Blue, and Matt are puzzled.

"What about it?" Donald rudely asks.

"I wanna to know if we can still save it," Dorian says clenching his fist. He hears a small blip, same pace as a high heart rate. He looks upon the large screen to find a circular world: chockfull of skipper jacks in the harbor, blue egret chicks hatching and being fed by their parents. "It can't be Charm City."

Sidney runs over to the screen and sees the egret chicks and says, "Chickpeas!"

"Didn't he bring one humongous storm to try to wipe us out?" Matt asks.

Lizzy hops on the dashboard. "More importantly," he says. "Whatever storm Tartarus harvested to destroy the world had slowed down.

"Maybe that hurricane he summoned isn't finished," Blue says. Maybe he is right: Lighting still flashed and torrential rain poured!

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Matt asks Dorian.

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" Dorian asks Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. He turns around and beckons his friends with hand waves. "Bring it in," he says. "Bring it in."

The _Elemental Force_ huddles. "DUDE! Matt whispers. "Did they just ask us to go rescue their King and Queen?"

"It's selfish enough of them to ask us for that," Dorian says. "But we got leverage here."

"What would that be?" Nadine points out. "You're not going to bluff that actually have this 'Keyblade,' are you?"

"They keep going on about Dorian and that thing," Jade says. "I don't even know what it looks like!"

"Before we can make that bluff," Ashleigh says. "Could we ask them how we can like restore our world? Like, are there any special steps?"

"What if they don't know how?" Blue asked.

"They have to," Dorian says. "They look like they might've seen this happen before. The world vanishing into darkness, some glimmer of hope."

"Don't forget about the Heartless," Beige chimes. "Are you all going to see more Heartless?"

"You're not coming?" Jade looks down, as did Romeo.

"WHY, BEIGE?" Lizzy wails. "You are a powerful asset to the team!" Every one else looks at him for grand disillusion. "WHAT?" Lizzy squeaks.

"How am I?" she sighs. "Besides, I'll get in the way and distract you guys. And you guys might be destined to be heroes! You might have to visit all of those worlds on that screen to train yourselves every single day to reach your peaks of power!"

"She's right," says Lizzy with a single tear dripping. He sniffs and says, "Come on. We need to tell them."

The huddle breaks Dorian steps forward. Goofy gulps of the awaiting decision. Daisy folds her hands, hoping to hear a positive outcome. Donald leers at Dorian with crossed arms, tapping his webbed foot.

"After we save our world," Dorian says. "We'll save your King and Queen."

"WHAT?" Donald head turns red and shouts! "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" He runs for Dorian but Goofy catches him in time! "LET ME AT HIM! LET ME AT HIM!" Donald chants angrily.

"You'll help us find the King and Queen?" Goofy asks. He then picks up Donald upside down, still swinging his knuckles.

"Once we find your King and Queen," says Dorian. "We'll guarantee their safe return to Disney Castle."

"It's a done deal," Daisy says.

"But," Dorian says. "You mind telling me what's up with Donald?

"We're all friends with the King and Queen," Daisy answers. "But Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey have had a lot of adventures together when they were younger. In a way, the King sees those two as family."

"And I pissed him off because I said we were going to save our world first?" Dorian asks.

"To be honest," Daisy says. "I was a little mad when you said that. But I have faith that the King and Queen are still out there, managing a way out of this mess."

Dorian smiles as he shakes hands with Daisy and Goofy. After a long day, every one rested easily while in the hands of the castle caretaker Daisy Duck. Meanwhile, Chip and Dale are in a process of building the Elemental Force's Gummi Ship to travel to different worlds. Goofy, Daisy, and Donald tour the _Elemental Force_ around the Castle's in and exteriors. They visit the Tech Room last. Goofy introduces them to his son Max and his friend PJ, respectively the Tech Specialist and Sergeant of the Disney Castle Army.

When the evening sky rises, they relax as they sat down for a feast and prepare themselves for one hell of a journey of a lifetime!


	10. Ambush

Chapter 9: Ambush!

The _Elemental Force_ rests comfortably in the guest rooms until sunrise. Romeo lies on his back with his legs sprawled, snoring. His peaceful bliss is ruined when magical brooms barge in the boys' room! He springs up and in attack mode. He leaps forward and gnaws them to pieces. Jade is the second to awake, then Lizzy, then Matt trapped in blankets, and lastly Blue.

"Down, boy!" Matt tries to get to heel but would not listen.

"SIT!" Dorian awoke with a single word shouted. Romeo trembles when he heard the command resonate in the room. He then sits, chewing a piece of wood.

"Drop it," Dorian yawns. Romeo did drop the broken piece.

"I need to learn how to do that," Matt comments Dorian's commands while waking.

"If you had a dog that doesn't know when to shut up in the morning," Dorian sits up. "It's practice to yell from bed."

"RISE AND SHINE, FELLAS!" Goofy chuckles. "Donald's whipping up a special breakfast before you head out on your–"

Goofy inadvertently steps on a rolling piece of the broom. "WOAH! WAH-OOH!" He falls back into the pile of broken brooms Romeo chewed up!

Jade looks the mess and looks at Romeo. The dog flips his ears back in response to Jade's glare. "You're bad," Jade says.

"Sorry about that, Goofy," Dorian apologizes. "He doesn't like–"

He stops at mid-sentence to see Goofy helped by the brooms. "Aw shucks," Goofy says after the brooms pick him up. "I'm not worrying about it, these brooms are enchanted! So whenever they break, they split off and multiply! Like bacteria."

"Well," Lizzy says. "That's a relief!"

"Daisy already woken the gals," Goofy says. "They're probably waiting for ya'll in the Dining Hall."

Romeo scrambles past Goofy, running toward the scent of food!

"He doesn't even know where it is!" Blue says when peeking out. He notices something wrong when Romeo stopped running and slides on the floor. He perks his ears left and then looks left. He lets out a solemn howl and barrels through the colonnade!

Jade also picks up the sound Romeo heard and followed suite. "Something's here," he says after he sniffs hard.

"Who's here?" Goofy asks.

"I don't know," Jade says. "But the stench is overpowering some poorly made café da - manhã_._"

He steps out into the hall and his foot is caught! "Ué! My foot!" Jade looks down and saw his foot stuck in a pool of darkness!

"He's a Heartless!" Goofy hollers but saw the jewel glimmer softly purple.

"Jade's no Heartless," Matt says pointing at Jade's jewel. "He just discovered how to use the jewel." Jade relaxes away his tension and hastily pulls up his foot from the pool.

"Where's the doggy?" Jade asks every one. Sidney's scream rang in the men's ears!

Jade thinks for a minute and says, "I'm going ahead!"

"Jade, wait–" Lizzy tries to stop his brother but Jade opens up a pool of darkness, jumps up and then dives in! The pool minimizes and scuttles away from Lizzy and the rest! Frustrated, they follow Jade's small pool until running past the hedges in the Royal Garden. One Super Shadow firmly grasps Sidney and several Soldiers and Shadows encircled their boss.

"More Heartless?" Matt asks. Goofy squints his eye at the Super Shadow.

"Funny," he suggests. "I thought purebloods don't have emblems."

"There's a difference?" asks Blue.

"Purebloods," Goofy points out. "Natural Heartless born from the darkness in people's hearts. Where as Emblems are made from a machine that captures hearts, and put them in darkness.

"A machine?" Lizzy asks. "Capable of doing that? That's twisted!" he retorted, "However imaginative."

Romeo attempts to free her, but the creature slaps him out of its way and it leaps behind two rows of Soldiers and Shadows.

"HEY, BULKY!" Dorian runs up and it finally happens. The same Keyblade he had in his dreams is now in his right hand.

Blue and Goofy get a glimpse of the autumn-gold blade. "I guess King Mickey was right when the Master said there will be another one," Goofy says.

"Just look at it!" Blue says.

Dorian grips the electric blue handle and points the blade at the Super Shadow. "Eat my sister," he shouts. "And you'll wish you never dealt with me!"

The monster's smile turned to a frown and leaps away from the group up to the roof of the castle.

"Dude! It just jumped up there," Matt says. "How're we gonna to get it?"

"I got it," Dorian kneels down as the Keyblade and Elemental Jewel glow simultaneously. "Senshi Field!" The patch of grass Dorian stands on warps and ripples! "Take care of these bastards here," Dorian says. A column of dirt shoots up and catapults him up to the roof to meet with the Super Shadow holding his sister hostage!

The Heartless' heads turn to the group and spring at their targets. Matt counts five Soldiers. His fists pulsate electricity. "More to it than just light?" He asks before the Soldiers came close. "_**Electro Nail!**_" He punches the ground and discharges the electric pulse diagonally and paralyzes them by pinning them to the ground as he pile drove them into a grayish-violet mist.

Jade deals with three. "They maybe cunning," he says. "But… _**Rainforest Kenpo: Three Thorns!**_" As they spin around Jade, he performs a handstand. He outstretches his legs and tail and twists around the Heartless until they stop in their tracks and are sliced!

"Here we go!" Goofy spins his shield and jumps on as if he's riding it! "_**Turbo Dash!**_" He scoops up Blue by his feet and they spin around, knocking down any Heartless remaining!

"Ground's all clear," Goofy says. "Wonder how Dorian's doing?"

All the while, Dorian clangs his Keyblade against the Super Shadow's smaller hand. Sidney felt nauseated with the constant bobbing back and forth. Dorian charges forth. The Super Shadow kicks at Dorian. Dorian ducks from the kick, slides behind the monster and cuts the Super Shadow's arm. The arm did fall, but not completely!

"EW!" Sidney cries. "ZOMBIE HAND! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The Heartless swings its nearly severed arm at Dorian, knocking him back a few feet!

He got back on his feet and says, "Okay! You asked for it!" Dorian wasn't planning to use his _**Garnet Flash**_, but rather something else. "Speed Gear!" His jewel shines again and he disappears! The Super Shadow looks left and right for Dorian until Sidney clears her throat and points behind him. Dorian was there, but unbeknownst to the Heartless, it was cut in two! "Hey," he says to the monster. "I didn't know I could do that, either!"

Before the Heartless evaporated in the violet mist, its mangled arm dangles Sidney at the edge of the roof. The fingers loosen, freeing Sidney to her doom! Dorian runs to her but is too late to reach her hands. She looks at him as if she had an idea what to do.

The ground team looks to catch her but her shoes lit on fire! "Red Spiral!"

"Sidney," Matt was in awe. "I think you're… flying!

"Is that scientifically possible?" Lizzy asks.

"This is SO cool!" Sidney says. Underneath her feet are two tiny spirals of fire that help Sidney gently float down like a leaf.

"GOOD STUFF," Dorian shouts while scaling the castle down. His hilt slows his velocity from falling at a rapid rate. When he lands he asks, "What happened to the others?"

"The others?" Sidney panicked. "C'mon! We have to head back!" The group runs through the hall to the kitchen!

"So these things just showed up out of nowhere?" Goofy asks.

Jade snorts and says, "Wait till we show the ducky what we have!"

"What I have," says Dorian.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Jade asks.

"I really don't know what this Keyblade is," Dorian says. "Or what it can do."

Goofy huffs and says, "One of my friends has a Keyblade. They kind of look the same, but yours has a lot more hues to it!"

When they reached the end they found Ashleigh, Nadine, and Donald protecting Daisy and Beige!

Donald raises his staff. "Thunder!" He waves it around and fires lightning at the Soldiers!

"Cool Air Dome!" Ashleigh waves her hands in a slamming motion and freezes every cell in the Shadows!

"Rose Harness!" Nadine made vines grow from the tiled floors and entangled the frozen Shadows. She crushes them into pieces! She turns her head to find Sidney safe.

"Sorry we took so long," Sidney says.

"You okay?" Ashleigh asks.

"You really should ask the Heartless that took me," Sidney points at Dorian with his Keyblade.

"WHAT?" Donald jumps at first. But he inspects carefully. "It looks like Sora's," he comments. "But it looks painted over!"

"Who's Sora?" Dorian asks.

"Are you calling this a fake?" Jade asks. "Dorian had light in his hand and it just poofs out of thin air!"

"Donald," Daisy says. "Don't you think you're being unfair to him? It even has a keychain."

Donald sighs. "We'll see about that. Is the Gummi Ship ready?"

"What do you mean?" Matt asks. "We can't just take yours."

"Course you can't theirs," Chip scuttles up from the hangar. "But you should see what I and Dale got for you!"

The Elemental Force, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy accompanied Chip to the Ship Hangar downstairs. Dale put the last piece on the massive Gummi Ship!

"And," he says and then places it. "Voila!" Dale says and then yawns. "This beauty is fueled up and ready to fly!"

"Gawrsh!" Goofy remarks. "This was their project while Donald and I were gone?"

"For a year!" Daisy says.

"A YEAR?" Donald says. He looks at the large pile of crumpled blueprints in the trash bin. "No wonder!"

The chipmunks fell asleep on Pluto's back.

"So," Dorian says. "While saving our world first, we may as well get some clues about finding your King and Queen. Where can we start?"

"Maybe Radiant Garden would be a good spot," Goofy suggests. "My son and PJ built the tracking device over there. That world's radar technology can detect bogies faster than ours can."

Daisy chimes in and says, "I just received a message from Cecil. He's also helping us track down Negaduck, Mortimer, and the Phantom Blot."

"That's good," Dorian says. "The sooner, the quicker we can deal with Tartarus! All right! WHO WANTS TO SET SAIL?"

…

DING! DING! DING-DING-DING!

"You may as well quit before it breaks, your highness," said a raspy, dark voice. "Banging the bars won't do you any good."

"You're still not gonna get any answers from us," said the King. He continued to swing at the bars until…

CRICK!

"Aw, shucks!" the King lowers his Keyblade.

"Mickey," says the Queen. "It's cracked!"

"Bla-Ha-Ha," goes a smooth, oily chortle. "My cages are ingenious, aren't they? Every last bit is imbued with darkness. Every time you strike with light, it absorbs!"

"Not as useless as this guy's designs," says the dark rasp voice.

"What're you talking about?" asks a nasally voice. "That Super Shadow is a success!"

"You mean was," says the raspy voice. "Instead of fiddling around with Heartless designs, how about doing some REAL work?"

"We've already covered that part," says the oily voice.

"What have been up to, 'Slick?" asks the nasally voice.

"Just research," a hand reaches a monitor and turns it on. They find a recording of Dorian activating his jewel's power at Disney Castle.

The King gasps.

"So, you know him? Eh, your highness?" Says the short figure. His beak is much broader than Donald's. The duck is clad in a black mask, large red fedora and a yellow double-breasted suit jacket. "For once, I've hit a pair of aces."

"You just wait till the new Keyblade wielder comes through," the Queen says radiantly.

"Really?" says the smooth, oily voice belonging to a tall man clad in a dark cloth with two eyeholes. "What makes you think he would stand a chance against us? Maybe your old coot for a Master has finally lost his wits!"

"You take that back!" the King yells.

"You really believe in that old man?" Questions a voice belonging to a tall rat clad in gray armor wielding a lance to match his height.

"If there is another Keyblade wielder," says the duck.

He throws his arms out to reveal: a black steel saber in his right hand and a dark silver Keyblade in the left!

"I'll show him who the real badass villain is! Not Xehanhort! ME!"


	11. Arrival at Radiant Garden

Chapter 10: Arrival in Radiant Gardens

Chip and Dale's new Gummi Ship design strikes them weird at first: a multicolored ship with one cabin at each four corners. The main body has two heads, the bottom seats three persons and the top is more like a crow's nest.

The Gummi Ship itself is 50 yards. Each part has a color theme: Matt calls for the yellow top cabin, Blue wants the blue upper port, Jade sneaks into the violet lower starboard, Nadine points at the green lower cabin, Sidney climbs to the red small crow's nest cabin, Dorian and Ashleigh take the stairs to jump into the main body.

They board and are ready to begin their voyage. Matt and Blue warm their engines, and so did Nadine. Lizzy waves tearfully at Beige and she does the to him. Her and the Disney Castle citizens wave farewell to the _Elemental Force_. From the radio tower, and then Goofy opens the gates. They were ready to fly out into space but there was a loud thud on the right starboard, and the Gummi Ship drags for a couple feet!

It turns out Jade doesn't know what switch or button to activate the engine on his side! He presses several buttons hoping to turn on the jets.

"Oh, for the Amazon's sake," Lizzy awoke from his nap agitated in Sidney's pocket. He hops out and walks to the intercom. "Jade?" he asks him. "You see that green rectangle in front of you? There're four switches on top of it. You only need to flip the first two. Did you even read the manual Chip and Dale provided us?"

"No. I didn't," Jade says. " But, I got this!"

Lizzy smacks his forehead with his palm. However, the ship's posture is corrected and they blast off into deep space to their first world, Radiant Garden.

Dorian peeks over at Ashleigh with her eyes half-open staring in the deep space. She blinks once and her eyes roll to toward him the next blink. "Yes?" she asks.

"Nah," Dorian says. "Nothing."

"You don't have to be shy," Ashleigh says as she stretches. She plays with her sepia brown hair: it touches her shoulders, its springy and very coil-y. She rolls her hair with her index finger and thumb.

Dorian bit his lip until Ashleigh breaks the ice by asking, "How'd even wind up with that Key?"

Dorian hums until a brief flashbulb memory radiates his brain. He remembered seeing a masked figure wielding the same color Keyblade when he was around two. He snaps back and says, "I really don't know. It just came in a dream."

"A dream?" Ashleigh asks. "Things can't just come out of dreams."

"And just show up out of nowhere," Dorian says.

"Heartless ships headed our way!" Jade slams the intercom and yells at everyone else on the intercom!

"FINALLY!" Jade cheers.

"Anyone knows how to fire the cannons?" Ashleigh asks.

"Duh, shoot those suckers out of the area!" Jade says with vigor.

"We were asking how!" Dorian yells at him.

The Heartless ships zeroed in at the _Elemental Force's_ vessel. They flew in faster until Matt found his cannons. "Taking aim," he locks his scope on a small fleet. "FIRE!"

Matt's corner of the Gummi Ship launches an array of missiles at the thorny Heartless ships and they explode into tiny blocks!

"Stay sharp!" Matt alarms the crew. "There's more where that came from!"

The Heartless ships shoot lasers at the vessel. The vessel barely got away from heavy damage; save for Nadine's cabin getting nicked.

"Nice flying! Jerk," Matt says to Jade on the intercom.

"I didn't know what to do," Jade says.

"I'm fine! I'm fine," says Nadine. "But what happened to the main jets?"

"That… might've been me," Dorian says, "I tried to look for the boost, but I hit the slow switch. Did we go fast enough to miss it?"

"No significant damage," Nadine said, "It's just the paint job."

"Here comes another one!" Jade screams as he pushes the boost switch to his ship only, causing the fast paced torpedo to hit main body!

"Look what you did!" Dorian yells at Jade.

"I panicked!" Jade says.

"You'd better check the stats RIGHT NOW!" Dorian's temper rises. "LOOK HOW MUCH DAMAGE WE'VE TOOK!"

"Can we worry about that later?" Nadine asks when she directs their attention. There was their destination world a few minutes away. If they could figure out how to stop an engaging swarm of Heartless ships!

Blue and Jade simultaneously slam switches that cause their ship to thrust at full-speed, destroying every Heartless ship in sight!

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Blue screams!

"What does the manual say about an Emergency break!" Dorian feels for a lever underneath the control panel. He grabs on and he pulls it back, causing the ship to slow down!

"Dorian!" Lizzy screams. "You need at least two more people to pull whatever you pulled to slow down the ship!"

"Call everybody to pull it!" Dorian screams back.

"Listen!" Lizzy directs. "There is a lever under your dashboard! Just pull it back towards you!"

Sidney, Ashleigh, Blue, Jade, Nadine, and Matt pull back the levels as far and hard as they could. This releases a repulsion jets in the front of the vessel. The grand Gummi Ship avoids creating chaos and draws near their first destination, Radiant Gardens. The Gummi lands safely, but the _Elemental Force_ held animosity until they stepped out of their respective cabins of the Gummi Ship and set foot in a large lush garden!

"Look at all these fruits," Nadine points out. "And the all these flowers! This is beautiful!" Rows of cherry trees were parallel with pink asphodels and apple trees, strawberry bushes, red roses, tall rhubarb stalks, and slender cacti with dragon-fruit sprouting from its ends.

"Everything's red and pink," Matt remarks. He turned around to find a grandiose lavender shaded castle on a flat-headed violet mountain. His "WOW!" caught everyone's attention and to repeat after him.

"Now THAT is a castle," says Nadine.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" asked a voice from the castle's gate. The voice belonged to a rather tall, slender man clad in navy blue armor. Thorns protruded from his shoulder armor as well as his helmet. The only thing visible of his clean-shaven face, lips with a tinge of purple, and pale skin. He approached the group as if he was expecting them. His scowl turned to a smile. "It took us about a year to spruce the castle back up."

Everyone seemed confused.

"What happened?" Dorian asks.

"Let's just say a witch took over and ruined everything for the king," the knight introduces himself. "I'm Cecil. I humbly welcome you to Radiant Garden. Well, a part of Radiant Garden. This is Gainsborough Square. I understand that you call yourselves the _Elemental Force_, right? Daisy contacted me not too long ago."

Everyone introduced themselves until Dorian comes up to Cecil to shake his hand as a sign of formal greeting. "I'm Dorian. My friends and I have lost our world. And we thought coming here would give us answers."

"Well," Cecil begins. "I may not be an expert on this subject. My teammate Leon talked about a young man who had a Keyblade and restored his own world."

"The Keyblade again?" Matt asks.

"You sound like you've heard of it," Cecil says.

"Actually," Dorian raises his right hand in the air and gathers light. He materializes his Keyblade. "What can this do?"

Cecil stood with mouth agape. "You have one? Perhaps Donald was sorely wrong."

"What's your point?" Jade rudely interrupts. "Do you know anything?"

Even though Sidney couldn't see Cecil's eyes, she felt how Cecil was offended by Jade's impatience.

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about him," Matt pats Cecil's back. "We can talk about it."

"Yeah," Ashleigh slings onto him as well. "What else can you tell us about that castle?"

"Story Time!" Sidney and Blue chime in. Romeo runs to catch up with Sidney.

"Why decide to have a garden here?" Lizzy asks.

"It's so peaceful here," Nadine added.

"Well, I, uh," Cecil blushed by attention. "One thing at a time, please?"

Dorian and Jade are left behind. Dorian raises his brow as Jade was left to simmer in his own embarrassment.

"I wanted to know," Dorian whispers to himself.

"Are you kidding me?" Jade asks. "He was going to flap his purple lips all day!"

"AND he was going to tell us something we could use," Dorian predicts.

"That's not how you lead," Jade says.

"Excuse me?" Dorian asks. "Lead?

"You've showed us how powerful these jewels are," Jade says when pinching the jewel. "And you've got another thing that would make you twice as powerful!"

Dorian rolls his eyes, "Look, it's like I got both of them at the same time. You can't rush me to learn about one thing and then another."

"In case you haven't noticed," Jade says. "We have a monster that may continue to wreck havoc in Charm City!"

"The activity says it stopped!" Dorian says. "We can still save it–"

"Until WHEN?" Jade shouts! "Our home turns to ashes?

"Until I hear something about the Keyblade's power," Dorian says. "But YOU had cut off Cecil, and say something about my 'leadership' skills! So what? Does that make you a better 'leader' by any chance?"

He hisses and then says, "Maybe so!"Dorian doubts him at first.

"Listen to me very carefully! Right after Lizzy and Beige found a barge headed for Charm City, there were men. You know what they did? They chopped down trees, burnt shrubs. My friends and I were sick of these men burning down everything we had in our forest, so they looked to me to find a way to drive them back. Their advantage was guns and ours was the tall trees. We waited for the right moment to strike. We sprang from the trees and attacked! We drove them back to the river where my larger friend lived in. They called her 'Munstro do Rio,' but her real name was _Belaverde_. When they crossed, she would cripple them by wrapping around them and then toss them up the opposite shore. But it was far from over. _Belaverde_ was shot from behind. The man behind her was that responsible for the cutting and burning of my forest was _Dionísio de Vargas_! He said he did it for the advancement for his people! I shouted at him that cutting down what was precious to us would only call the humans monsters. Even my brother _Sepia_ pleaded him to stop deforesting! You know what he told us? Vargas told us to grow up! He went, as far as to say forests are only blockades for humans! That man was nothing but condescending! _Belaverde_ rose back from the river to hold him off! I took my brother and dived in the river. We only watched from afar to see _Belaverde_ wrapping around Vargas and him choking her until she dragged themselves under. We swam upstream to find another barge headed for Charm City. We told Lizzy what happened and we hid in your neighbor's backyard since."

Jade's somber story affected Dorian. "I'm very sorry about that loss," Dorian says. "But what does it have to do with what's happening now?"

"Knowing when to be ready," Jade hisses. "Without anyone GUIDING YOU!" Jade then smacks Dorian across his cheek!

Dorian immediately draws his Keyblade and tries to swipe at Jade. With the elemental power of darkness, Jade morphs with his shadow and zips away from Dorian.

"Jade, wait!" Dorian futilely calls for him back. Dorian rubs his cheek and finds out Jade drew his blood. "Fucking drama queen," he says when he looks up to find another castle further ahead. "Without guidance, he says?"

…

The _Elemental Force_, without Jade or Dorian, continues to make merry accompaniment with Cecil. Travelling across the ravine, deeper to the depths.

"This Sora guy," Nadine says. "Must be really skilled!"

"And he fought off all those Heartless?" Sidney asks

"All 1000 of them?" Lizzy is perplexed.

"As witness and veteran of that battle," Cecil says truthfully. "But Sora, along with Donald, the King, Leon, Cloud and the others have fought against the Heartless side by side."

"And that was when you finished up rebuilding Radiant Garden?" Ashleigh asks.

"The project started after Sora sealed the heart of the world away two years ago," Cecil explains. "We worked on rebuilding this castle first for two years before we could move on. And now that's done, we can restore everything else around it."

"So, what do we do?" Matt asks.

"Maleficent had used a vale not far from here as her headquarters," Cecil says. "I caught Luso and Prishe slacking off, so I asked if Yuna could take the two there for a little exercise. She was too happy to oblige."

"Exercise?" Sidney asks. "What'd you mean?"

"There were some remaining Heartless around the vale," Cecil adds. "But I thought they were taking too long to take out the Heartless."

"Have you considered that they might be no match?" Nadine asks.

"I have faith in Luso and Prishe's training," Cecil says confidently. "And if things were to go from bad to worse, Yuna's one of the best summoners."

They continue to walk down the winding pathway. The pathway grew steeper with each passing yard. The slate walls in between the people were far wide. Their friendly banter ends when they heard young lady screaming.

"YUNA!" Cecil runs downhill with the _Elemental Force_ behind him. He slides to a stop to find his friend surrounded by Heartless: Shadows, Soldiers, and giant bats with simple faces.

"Are those new?" Ashleigh asks as she swirled the air to form a ball of wind.

"I'll take care of the Mega Chirps," Lizzy says as he jumped.

But before he could, Sidney grabs his tail. "Really, you named them 'Mega Chirps?' And you can't do anything now!"

"They let out a chirping sound like a bat's," Lizzy explains his observation. Matt tries to swing at them with his fists but they strike back with sound waves emitting from their mouths. Cecil swiftly sliced the bat Heartless out of the air. "Electro Nail," Matt's right fist radiates electricity and pounds the Soldiers!

The Shadows turns their lowly heads to Sidney and Romeo. They crawl inches away from tearing her and the dog apart. "HOLY," shouts a voice.

The Heartless were first stunned and then eaten away by the light from the spell. Yuna had recovered quickly from her attack. She wears a purple pleated, flower-patterned dress with black boots; a black camisole under a white sash; a yellow patterned Obi with a fancy knot and a decorative string to clinch the cords and two separate, kimono-like sleeves complete the outfit. Her brown hair reaches her shoulder and her eyes are completely different from one another: blue as the sky and green as jade. She smiles but felt faint. Cecil leapt to her gallantly to catch her.

"Are you alright?" Cecil asks.

"I'll be fine, Cecil," Yuna says. "I'm worried about Prishe and Luso, though."

"What happened?" he asks.

"I was watching Luso and Prishe fight the small Heartless," she explains. "Then Prishe dared him to go in the vale. I tried to go after him but I heard Prishe scream. I ran out to find a knight clutching Prishe's arms. His magic was a lot stronger than mine and he pushed me up here along with a bunch of Heartless."

"Knight?" Cecil questions. "With magic?"

"His armor looked a lot like yours," she adds. "And he's much taller."

Cecil clenches his teeth, as he helps Yuna to her feet. "What's wrong?" Yuna asks.

"We have to hurry to the vale before Golbez does something horrible to her," Cecil runs ahead.

"Who?" Sidney quipped. "Golbez?"

"I'll explain on the way," Yuna follows Cecil back to the Villain's Vale. Sidney caught up with her to ask again.

"Golbez is Cecil's long lost brother," Yuna answers. "They both fought each other years ago. Cecil knew something was off about him when they last met each other. But then, Cecil knew that Golbez wouldn't be capable of such evil."

"Sounds like more than a clean up job," Ashleigh catches up with Yuna and Sidney. Lizzy rides on Romeo with Nadine and Matt not too far behind. They reach the end of the trail to the vale to find Cecil stopped and staring at Golbez carrying a girl. But someone else was there. Cecil switched his sight to Jade, who was left behind minutes ago and now unknowingly found his way first to the vale's lower level.

"Jade!" Lizzy was shocked. "How'd he get here?"

"Put the garota down," Jade says as his claws sheath out. His rage was noted but ignored by the dark knight. He is much taller than Cecil, and bears similar armor, however the spikes were taller and he adorned a cape.

"Prishe," Cecil and Yuna yell. The girl has ears just like Evelyn's, but her skin tone is similar to Sidney's. She wears a camisole with flowery sleeves and jean shorts reaching her knees. When she awakes slowly, she jerked her head to see who was holding her. "_GOLBEZ_," she realizes her captor. "Just wait till you let me go, I'm gonna flatten you into a penny!"

"Your hubris is almost hilarious," Golbez speaks with a deep voice.

"What are you doing anyway?" Prishe asks meanly. Then she looked over where Cecil, Yuna, and the _Elemental Force_ were standing. "GUYS! What are you doing standing there like a bunch of idiots? Help me out, already!"

Jade is almost too happy to help Prishe. He darts for Golbez, swiped at him and Prishe. She quickly raised her legs to avoid Jade's attack. Jade's claws are packed with reinforced reptilian keratin, but Golbez's armor did not scratch. "Your claws are useless against my armor!"

"You almost cut me, doofus," Prishe shouts at Jade. Frustrated, Jade tries many more times to try to damage Golbez. Prishe also avoid Jade's attacks. Everyone on the sidelines gasps every time Jade made a swipe at Golbez with Prishe as his hostage.

"JADE," Lizzy tries to remind his older brother. "This is a HOSTAGE SITUATION! You're not thinking!"

"Blizzara!" Jade stops attacking and Golbez breezes a spell at Jade. Jade is pushed back by the spell and he looked at his right arm.

"Ice?" Jade panics as he looked up! Three more Blizzard spells headed his way all he did was protect his face. The icy mist lifted as Jade was encased in a block of ice, save, his face. He shivers with his eyes half way shut.

"We have to get him out of there!" Lizzy panics. "Our physiology can't stand sub-zero temperatures! We have three minutes to un-freeze him!"

"I can defrost him," Sidney volunteers. Nadine and Lizzy accompany her and ran to a frozen Jade, but the Heartless line up in front of Jade to prevent the three from reaching to him on time.

"Golbez!" Cecil stood out. "I thought you would have renounced the evil that you've caused years ago!"

"And I thought that was a stupid idea," Golebz's voice pattern changed.

"What just happened?" Ashleigh asks.

"He sounded dignified at first," Matt comments. "Now he sounds like he came from the Five Burroughs."

"There's so much I can do with this power," Golbez starts a monologue. "I can travel to other worlds and conquer them in under a half an hour! This feels splendid!"

Cecil grits his teeth. "My own brother, who fought to seek forgiveness now turns against his word? The darkness really has warped your mind!" Cecil draws closer and unsheathed his blade. "I'll warn you one last time," Cecil points his blade at Golbez. "Put down Prishe."

"Make me, pretty boy," Golbez taunts Cecil. But before Cecil could make a move, a blur fell from the far heights of an old, dilapidated castle. Something hit Golbez's head so hard, he dropped Prishe and she made a run for the sideline. Golbez held his head and writhed in agony from the fallen object. But it was no object.

"All right! Now it's a party!" Matt says as Jade and Dorian made their appearances special.

"Dorian!" Cecil said with amazement. "How did?"

"Ey!" Dorian looks up and swings his Keyblade on his shoulder and his carried a large book in his left arm. "You were in the middle of saying something, Cecil. Then Jade got impatient and then you guys clamored to him, and I was stuck listening to Jade. As soon as he ran away, I figured I would take the scenic route. And look what I found!"

Dorian's face beams as he held up the book he found inside the castle. "This thing is crazy huge! Y'all never catch me reading something like this. What is in here? Maybe it's got something to do with the Keyblade? HEY, it's got pictures!"

Everyone but Golbez looks at Dorian as he flipped the pages in the big book. "We don't see him like everyday," Sidney comments.

"CAN WE FOCUS ON MY BROTHER ENCASED IN ICE, PLEASE!" Lizzy shouts at everyone. "He's got another minute before his heart shuts down! HURRY UP!"

Nadine understands Lizzy's plight and dealt with the Heartless while Sidney uses her power to defrost Jade. Golbez got to his knees and then rises to his feet. He looks around to find who struck him. He turns to Dorian still turning pages in the big book. "Could that be the _Grimoire of the Rift_?" he asks in his normal tone.

"Not sure," Dorian turns to the front cover. "There's no title."

Golbez's head shook and then his strange accent returns. "You little Punk! You'll pay for what you did to me!" Golbez proceeds to punch Dorian but Dorian avoids the attack.

"Hey you," Dorian shouts at Prishe. "Take this!" He throws the book up in the air. There was a faint scream coming from the book. "What the hell?!"

"Dark Fire!" Golbez points and fired a fireball at the book. But the fireball was black and violet. Blue somehow activates his crystal and spits up a water ball at the book. The dark fireball contacts the book and exploded. The smoke cleared and the book was protected by Blue's water shield. The book fell and lands in Prishe's arms.

"Where were we?" Dorian asks Golbez as he swings his Keyblade in Golbez's visor and brought him flat on his back.

"Aera!" Golbez raises his arm at Dorian and blasts him away from him. Golbez got back up again.

"This isn't like Golbez," Cecil says. "He wouldn't be easily knocked down like that." Cecil decides to exit the fray and watch Dorian fight Golbez. "Dorian, be careful! His magic is formidable!"

"Dark Fire!" Golbez launches a basketball-sized fireball at Dorian. Dorian readies himself like a baseball batter. He swings his blade and he deflects it away. Golbez consecutively fires the spells and Dorian continues deflecting them! Golbez ceases his Dark Fire spell to let that one fireball fly at Dorian. Then Dorian deflects it back to Golbez, then Golbez punches it back, then Dorian swings the fireball back!

Golbez misses his timing and is burned for it! Golbez recovers and readies another spell. "Prepare yourself," he warns. "BIO!"

His spell looked like a green glob. Dorian used the blade to protect himself, but the glob splattered in Dorian's face. "Was that supposed to hurt me?" Dorian asks.

"No," Golbez answers. "It's supposed to drain your strength." Dorian buckles and coughs.

"Normally, poison based magic won't hurt much. But I'm sure this will!" Golbez held his hands out and prepares a spiraling red fire. "FIRA," Golbez shoots a larger, red version of his Dark Fire. Dorian did not move from the line of fire and the spell set him ablaze!

"Pretty thickheaded of you not to move anywhere," Golbez states. The Fira spell dies down and left Dorian singed. "You don't look so good," Golbez taunts Dorian. "How about another?"

Golbez held his hands out again to prepare another Fira. Dorian grins and steps forward to startle Golbez! But did not deter Golbez from finishing his Fira spell. "My Bio should have you sick!" Golbez shouts.

"Your fire melted that shit off of me," Dorian chuckles. "So I'm not so sick anymore!"

"Stay back!" Golbez shouts.

"Or what?" Dorian mocks. "You'll shoot?" Dorian runs closer to Golbez as he fires the Fira. Dorian is close enough to fire back the Fira in point blank range, thus sending Golbez a distance while on fire!

"Something's not right here," Cecil notes. "It's like Golbez is not even trying. If he was for real, the match would've been over and Dorian would have lost."

"Quit messing with me kid!" Golbez sounds uncharacteristic. "Do you know who you are dealing with?"

"Not the slightest," Dorian says.

"Suffer! Darkest Thunder!" Golbez sends lighting out from his palms at Dorian! Dorian tries to block the lightning with his Keyblade, but seeing the blade was made from some kind of metal the lightning stored in the blade. However, the electricity didn't affect him.

"He's gonna get fried!" Prishe says. "What's keeping him from sizzling into a crisp?"

"Maybe the jewel he's wearing is giving him an edge?" Yuna points out.

"Earth nullifies lightning?" Matt asks. "But he can't channel the electricity through himself."

"Maybe he doesn't have to," Ashleigh says. "Look at his Key!"

Dorian's Keyblade is charged full of lightning! He grins as he ran toward Golbez. He swung at Golbez but he dodged every attack possible. Until the last strike, Golbez caught the Keyblade.

"You've become a pain in the ass, kid!" Golbez says.

"That wasn't really smart," Dorian smiles. The lightning trapped in his Keyblade unleashes the fury of ten lightning storms back at Golbez acting as the conduit! Golbez convulses and is frustrated with his efforts. He vanishes in front of Dorian and appears in front of Jade, probably to counter Sidney's fire ability.

"No you won't!" Dorian kicks his heels to activate the jets and flies to the right side of Golbez! They both crashed right in the brittle castle. The shock set forth cracks in the wall of the castle. Everyone peered inside the hole to see who would come out first. Someone coughs and pushed aside the rubble inside.


	12. Grimoire of the Rift

Chapter 11: Grimoire of the Rift

Dorian emerges from the rubble and brushes his shoulders. He looks up to see every one gawking at him. Instead of feeling uncertain, Dorian smiles warmly and huffs from his nose. Cecil retains his demeanor when he sees the shadow of his brother creep out of the crack. Golbez's head is surrounded with a thick cloud of darkness. He tries removing his helmet but he struggled to get it of him.

"Golbez!" Cecil runs to his brother.

"Stay away, Cecil!" Golbez's now distinguished voice returns. "Something… vile has… me… constrained!"

"Let me help you, brother!" Cecil pleads. As he walks closer to Golbez he pushes him back.

"I must… take my leave now." Golbez says. "Until we meet again, Keyblade wielder!" With that said, Golbez envelopes himself in his Aero spell and recedes from everyone's view.

"Yeah!" Prishe raises her fists into the sky. "You better not show your face around here again! You big creep!"

"Prishe!" Yuna scolds her and then turns to Cecil. "There was a cloud surrounding…"

"I know," Cecil says. "It may have something to do with the way he's acting now. And now that he's gone, I'm worried about Luso."

"Who's he?" Blue asks.

"He's wearing yellow overalls," Prishe describes him. "His red cap is too big for him to wear. His shirt's the same color as his cap. And he has a green shawl. You can't miss him. He's like a weird flag!"

"Here's something else we couldn't miss," Dorian adds. "I thought I heard a scream when I tossed the book up."

"You're losing it," Sidney says.

"I swear to God, I heard it," Dorian pleads. "Even Romeo heard something." The dog vouches for him as he nods. "What did Golbez call it? _Grimoire of the Rift_?"

"A grimoire?" Cecil asks. "That's astounding! Grimoires are generally tomes that hold remarkable power. We'll have to see what of magic this Grimoire of the Rift possesses."

"You're not thinking that Luso could be 'inside' that book?" Yuna asks with her brow rises.

"To be honest," Cecil says. "I thought I heard a scream from the book, too. Let's head back to the castle."

As the group heads back to the grand castle, two figures lurk behind the old vale.

"Damn it," said a voice whose pattern matches with Golbez's unusual mix-up. "You said that your spell would put anyone under my command!"

Then a tall, robed man crept from behind. His sleeves droop when he made hand gestures. "Seems as though Golbez now orients himself with _Light_. We've already discussed this, Negaduck!"

"Well then Phantom," Negaduck says to him. "Persuade him, so that way he'll stay under my control!"

"YOUR control?" The Phantom Blot chides him. "Have you forgotten who is the master of hypnosis? The least thing you can do is…"

"Make an attempt to steal the Jewel," Negaduck mocks him. "Blah, blah blah. I get it."

Golbez groans and awakens. He removed his helmet. He shares his brother's white hair, but his face is rugged and does not share the same color hue of his brother's lips. "My head aches," he says groggily as he turned his head to face The Blot and Negaduck. "Who are you two?"

Negaduck reacts and reaches a mallet from his jacket and whacks Golbez's temple! Golbez falls back down unconscious.

"Hit him like that again and he'll be brain dead!" The Phantom Blot scolds Negaduck. He pulls out a thin paintbrush from his sleeve. It drips with black ink. He proceeds to draw a symbol on Golbez's forehead.

"It won't be wiped off anytime soon," The Blot says.

"How come I never thought of that?" Negaduck asks.

The hallways inside the castle are pristine, the lavender paint on the walls sheen softly from the overhead lamps. The floors are checkered with light and dark violet shades. Various pipes were exposed parallel outside of the walls. At least the halls aren't as endless as it looked. At an end of one hall, there would be a larger room. Along the way, we would find some of Cecil's other comrades:

Rikku is a spirited young woman whose smile can brighten anyone's day. She wears a pair of flared green short-shorts with an orange belt, loosely held around her waist, and an orange sleeveless tank top with side straps and two long blue ribbons hanging from the back. A pair of goggles around her neck, a pair of combat boots, a sharpened gauntlet and arm guard for her right arm and a large protective forearm mitt for her left.

Lulu is a much mature woman than Rikku and Yuna, and less friendly. She is dressed in a low-cut, fur-lined, black and gray dress that prominently displays her ample cleavage. She wears a collection of interlaced belts below the waist. Her hair is tied up in a knot at the top with long braids dangling from it. She wears many accessories, including several necklaces, rings and many ear piercings, as well as dark purple make up.

Cid is a loud and proud middle-aged man. He knows a more than a thing or two about building airships. He is a large man with a brown beard, and wears a blue outfit with red gloves and boots, a tool belt, and an aviator's helmet and goggles.

Rosa is the fashion opposite of Lulu. She is kind and strong willed in the heat of a dangerous battle. Her light blonde hair is styled in a half updo with long bangs that frame her face. She wears a large assortment of garments and accessories: on her shoulders small horned pauldrons worn over a floor-length white and gold cape, a sleeveless white top with long, decorated gloves and a large belt that holds a dagger on her side, gold and pink knee braces and light purple ankle boots.

Kain is calm and collected man with a few spouts of wit. He is a friend with Cecil and Rosa since childhood. Kain wears a light blue and white armor, a winged hairpiece that reveals the whole of his face, and a blue cloak.

The group meanders the halls to find the former king's room of study. Dorian continues to flip through the pages of the book, with only the book ending on a blank page. He curiously flipped to another page, and another. "Weird book. The rest of the pages are blank," he said. He skims the book until reaching the back cover when he found a letter. "What's this?"

"A letter of some sort," Lizzy flew by to see. He landed on the book and read aloud:

"Phantom Blot,

Once again, thank you for breaking me out of the dark realm. Just to show appreciation, I've returned to Hollow Bastion to continue researching these Heartless creatures you told me about. Of course, we know that Shadows are natural Heartless. However, the genetic design of the Shadow can be altered. Once processed, through experimentation in the Heartless Manufactory, these Shadows are no longer natural but the aesthetic is traded for a greater destiny. Merging two Shadows into one Super Shadow was a successful experiment. With this in hand, the Heartless gained sentience, much similar to Xehanort's Heartless. And for further observation, I sent my experimental Heartless to a small world called "Charm City." The Heartless' strength, intelligence, and individuality they are much more capable to work in groups and 25% more potent than the Nobodies'. I hope you're confident in controlling the Heartless. I feel we are a few steps closer to obtaining our goal.

Mortimer Maus"

"Dear God," Dorian says. "So he sent that monster!"

"It doesn't say why he kidnapped the King and Queen," says Jade, and then he sneezes.

"No it doesn't," Cecil says. "My guess is that this Phantom Blot probably wanted to bring an army of super strong Heartless."

"Who's the Phantom Blot?" Prishe asks.

"When Ansem was alive, King Mickey would visit often and tell stories that the Phantom Blot was his first and more competent adversary than Pegleg Pete. Legends tell that no one knew where the Phantom Blot came from," Yuna explains. "Some of them say he was a creation made by Maleficent's dark magic to do her bidding. Other's say he was a painting by King Mickey's jealous older brother, Oswald. The Phantom Blot had the most attempts to dethrone King Mickey until he sealed the Phantom onto a canvas in darkness."

"How did he escape?" Nadine asks. "Being on a canvas and all?"

"Did anybody tell you about OUR, the _Elemental Force's_ dilemma?" Jade asks as he sneezes again.

"I've heard you the first time," Cecil smiles. "You may have to travel to different worlds before getting back to yours. We've done it before, and it has done us a few favors in training. The more worlds you visit, the stronger the enemies get. Daisy gave us as much information as she could to find out more about the Phantom Blot and Mortimer's whereabouts."

Rosa and Kain tap on Cecil's shoulders asking him for their time. Cecil excuses himself and attends to the two.

"Cecil," Rosa starts. "I'm worried about your brother, Golbez."

"So am I," Kain says. "It's not like he would act like that again. Is Zemus still alive?"

"I'm certain that we defeated Zemus a long time ago, Kain," Cecil answers. "Though, Yuna told me that she saw a dark cloud hovering around his head."

"I can only guess that he was manipulated by a black mage," Kain assumes.

"It's too soon to say so," Rosa adds. "Besides what happened today, he was fine the day before. He said he was going to the caverns to 'contemplate how can he atone for his sins.'"

"We'll have to wait and see what is his next move," Cecil concludes. He was being peered by everyone behind him. He notes their impatience and continues the path to the study room.

When they reach there, Cecil presses his palm against the door and it slid upwards. He escorts the Force inside the room. It looked as is it was a combination between a business office and a library. Portraits of King Ansem and his apprentice stood with other diagrams of hearts and it's functions. Cecil steps to the opposite side of the office to press his palm into a door and slid up. This room leads to a small lab with a control board in front and a giant scanner behind. Cecil leans forward on the control panel to find a man and a woman working on a small winged vehicle. They both wiped their brows as Cecil pressed on the intercom. "Cid, would you mind coming up here for a moment?"

The broad man quickly jogs to the elevator to the control tower. Everyone hears a ding as Cid walks out.

"What's up Cecil?" Cid smiles. "Have you found Prishe and Luso yet?"

"Prishe is fine," Cecil answers. "But we haven't found Luso, yet." Then he holds the _Grimoire of the Rift_ up. "See, Dorian and I thought we heard a scream come out of the book when he threw it. I'm not sure if he could possibly be in this book."

"I told you that there would be an illogical fallacy of a person being trapped in a book," Lizzy sounds off.

"Cecil said it was magic, wasn't it?" Dorian argues. "I keep telling ya'll, we HEARD Luso scream. Me and Romeo!"

Cid closely examines the book and opens it and flips the pages. He hums, and then closes the book. "I see he vandalized this treasure," Cid points out as flips to the very last pages of the book. A signature read "Luso Clemens."

"But you mind telling me how you got the idea he might be trapped in a grimoire like this?" Cid places the open book on a table. "Luckily you caught me on my break. I've wanted to test the analyzer device I made a couple weeks ago." Cid walks to the main board and slid the cupboard doors open to grab a machine. It looked like a toy space gun with a generous amount of color to it. "Of course, it's it needs to be installed properly," Cid grins. "This could take a while."

"Well if that's the case," Cecil clicks on another board adjacent to the other Cid needs to install his machine. Upon the screen, worlds of different shades and sizes are mapped out.

"These are the worlds that PJ and Max's device tracked the kidnappers," Cecil says. "We'll give you a buzz when trouble arises."

"How about… here?" Dorian points to a world full of parishes and parades. "It looks like Mardi Gras."

"I was thinking… here," Jade points to an early American colony world. "It looks so lush and green."

"No, let's go… here," Ashleigh points to a city in nighttime.

"No, let's go here first," Sidney points to a world that seemed desolate and barren.

"Dude what about… here?" Matt points to an Old English town with a giant castle looming above it.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Blue asks. "Right… here," he points to an underwater temple.

"And drown?" asks Lizzy. "I suggest we go back here," he pointed to a familiar city under a hurricane. "That is," he looks to see level indicator next to the world. "When we are strong enough to save Charm City."

Romeo lies on the floor, waiting for a final decision.

"Have you made up your minds yet?" Cecil asks.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" shouts Lizzy. "Simple enough, EVERYBODY…"

"ROCK… PAPER… SCISSORS, SHOOT," everyone who calls out there destinations participated in the game and results:

Ashleigh - Rock

Blue - Rock Sidney - Scissors

Lizzy - Scissors Jade - Paper

Matt - Scissors Dorian – Paper

Round two, the winners of the last round. "ROCK… PAPER… SCISSORS!"

Results:

Blue - Rock Lizzy - Paper

Matt - Scissors Ashleigh - Paper

Final Round, "ROCK… PAPER… SCISSORS!"

Matt - Rock

Lizzy - Scissors

"I win," Matt gloats.

"All of that to decide what world to go to?" Cecil asks.

"Tell me about it," Jade grieves.

"Alright," Cecil says. "This world was the last world the tracking device was located. Do your best!"

"Leave it to us," Matt interjects. Then Nadine pulls his ear.

"Hold on, Matt," she lets go. She turns to Cecil while Cid begins his installation. "Why can't you and your team do it?"

"From what King Mickey told me once," Cecil states. "Only a Keyblade wielder can choose a strong individual in order to wield it. If I were chosen, I would have gladly gone to other worlds. Besides, I can't leave this world for obvious reasons."

"Dude, we got you covered," Matt says.

Dorian sighs, "Just stop! Do you have a lead role?"

"CAN I?" Matt begins his obnoxious begging.

"Fine, hold the position until we're done in Sherwood," Dorian reluctantly agrees.

Everyone shouts at Dorian, "THAT EASY?"

"This is gonna be easy," Matt says.

"IT WON'T BE EASY," Dorian says sternly.


	13. Nottingham Nights

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 12: Nottingham Nights

Their first glimpse at the world Sherwood Forest: a graveled pathway into a thick brush of forest, Eurasian wrens chirring and chirping, and tall trees are swaying to the rhythm of the winds. Matt is the last one to hop out of the massive Gummi Ship, rocking to his mp3!

"What are you listening to?" Nadine asks.

Matt suddenly sings out, "LYING MY WAY FROM… YOU!"

Sidney quickly yanks Matt's earplugs out! "That hurt," he says.

"You're going to go deaf it you keep the volume that high," Sidney said.

Matt took his time to view the world with his own eyes, and said, "This place is boring! I don't know why I picked this world."

"We're not here for sightseeing," Lizzy crawls out of Sidney's pocket shouting.

"Then what?" Matt asks.

"Oh, for Amazon's sake," replied Lizzy. "To find out anything about the missing King and Queen."

He leaps out, "Time I put my new invention to the task! _**SPIDER BOT… Activate**_!" A small mobile suit disguised as Sidney's hair bow transformed and leapt from her head! She wails in fear because the suit Lizzy designed for himself looked like an adult tarantula.

"Why'd you do that?" Sidney screams at Lizzy.

"You needed arachnophobia therapy," says Lizzy. "I present to you, the **S**uper** P**rotective** I**ntelligently** D**esigned** E**xpeditious** R**obot! It's designed for sky and land terrains. It has a built in camera for photos or video taping from a worm's eye view to a bird's eye view, and it's four legs are made to anchor it in position. Plus all the other advantages from my previous suit."

"Whoa!" Its features amaze them. Nadine came up close and says, "So, it's like a spider with a camera mounted on it's back."

"In a sense, yes," says Lizzy, "But this baby won't be crushed as easily as a spider would."

"How do you know when to take pictures or recording?" Dorian asks.

"Easy," he slips on a headpiece and a game controller to move it around. He turned it and his little gadget moved at his will. "I move it where I want it to go," he continued.

Romeo lifted his ears, and then started howling. Sidney responds, "What'd you hear, Romeo?"

The dog ran to the bushes to take cover. Then, marching, marching of a thousand soldiers!

"Now's the time take our enemy," says Jade.

"Dude, are you nuts?" asks Matt, "We hide!" They all run to the bushes, except for Blue, who melts into a puddle and then got stomped by the soldiers.

"Hey, Lizzy?" Matt whispers. "Let's see if that little device of yours really works."

"What's the point of that?" Lizzy hisses.

"It wouldn't hurt to look, now would it?" asks Matt.

"I shouldn't," Lizzy sounds troubled.

"Dude, just put it into action," he says.

After reluctance, "Fine! I'm already regretting my invention!" Lizzy controls his **SPIDER** to land mode not to look suspicious to the guards around the gold plated carriage.

"I'll put whatever's happening on speaker," Lizzy says. "It's strange though."

"What'd you mean?" asks Nadine.

"Here's a little History lesson," Lizzy explains. "There were Crusades around the early medieval times, right?"

It took them a minute to figure it out, "Wait, so we went to another world, and different time period, too?" asks Sidney.

"Pretty much," Lizzy answered. "We must be careful with our technology here because they'll think it's some sort of witchcraft."

Lizzy receives visual feed on his camera. "I'm getting something." Contentious laughter and rattling of gold coins:

"Taxes!" Says a wily voice. "Taxes! Beautiful, lovely… Taxes! Ah-HAA! AH-HAA!"

"All thankssss to a scrupulous Misssster Hayalet, Sssssire," another voice says well pronouncing his S's.

"Indeed, Sir Hiss. Mr. Hayalet had done me a great favor, and in return he will receive the other end. At long last the throne is mine! With my brother gone to crusade, everything here is mine!"

"Now, the only thing to do isss bring that derelict outlaw to your feet," Sir Hiss says.

"Mayhap a archery tournament?" the royal responded.

"You are absssolutely brilliant, Ssssire," the councilor compliments. "A ingenious plan! Would you like to place Misster Mallard and hiss partner in the tournament?"

The microphone received interference as Lizzy retreated his robot as Blue stood from the ground, wobbling.

"Mr. Mallard and his partner?" Dorian points out. "Also a Mr. Hayalet? Hayalet sounds sort of Arabic," Dorian adds. "You got a translator?"

"I'll have the results shortly," Lizzy types in his computer. "Ah! Hayalet is actually Turkish for ghost or phantom."

"The Phantom Blot," Matt runs off without warning to the carriage. Nadine then cleverly released her vine to trip Matt.

"Dude," Matt said as he got back up to his feet.

"Do you think we need a plan first?" asks Nadine. "How about we try to fit on this world first?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Matt groans. "But WHERE are we supposed to get a damn costume." Luckily, they may not have to look since twosome gypsies halted the carrier. One was husky and heavily built and the other one was as slim and trim as a fox.

"Who do those clowns think they are fooling?" Jade asks.

"I couldn't tell at first," Lizzy says to his brother. "Let's just watch and listen." They creep up close enough not to get caught by the guards.

"Oh-De-Lolly, oh-de-lolly, have your palm read for small price," announces the thin gypsy.

"FORTUNES FOR SALE, GET YOUR FORTUNES, WE HAVE LUCKY CHARMS!" booms the husky gypsy.

"Oh, goody, fortune-tellers," says the prince.

"Ah, good morning to you, sire," says the thin gypsy. "You wouldn't happen to be the royal Prince John, would you?"

"Indubitably," says the prince. "And what services do you offer?"

"Ach, many things. Horoscopes, tarot cards," the thin gypsy says. "Even palm reading."

"You hear that, Hiss?" the prince asks. "They're experts in palm reading! How exciting!"

While the fat gypsy was too busy "flirting" with the guards, "she" took a knife out "her" pocket and carved away at the gold plated treasure chest.

"Who are they?" Ashleigh says as she peered further.

"Cross dressers?" Sidney asked.

Amazing the guards doesn't know what the fat gypsy is doing. Then one by one, coins fell into "her" apron.

Back at the thin gypsy, "she" carefully read the prince's palm. "I see… I see power! Limitless power! All the power you could imagine in your near future."

The prince became giddy. The fat gypsy walked over to the carriage. "I," continued the thin gypsy, "I also see, WEALTH beyond your wildest dreams!"

Hiss was alarmed to see that the fat gypsy was scraping the floor for more coins.

"MY DEAR PRINCE, you should be concerned about–"

The prince interrupted, choking his advisor, "MY future." The Prince tied Hiss into a knot and threw him aside. "Oh, please my dear, continue."

The thin gypsy finishes, "I see, I see… oh no!"

"What?" hastily asks the prince, "What is it?"

"Your future looked very bleak, Prince John," the thin gypsy warns.

"What's happening?" the prince repeatedly asks.

"You will be poor, your reputation destroyed, someone has just robbed from you."

"Someone like whom? WHO?"

The thin and fat gypsies threw off their costumes, "Non other than Robin Hood and Little John!"

The lion prince took a deep gasp, like he suffered from a heart attack! Dorian and his gang were clapping behind them!

The two took a bow, "You should've seen that guy's face when you told him," said Little John. Now red-faced, the prince ordered his royal guards to chase after them, and Dorian's gang! Before they could escape through Sherwood Forest, the Heartless shows up!

"Mr. Mallard's magic must be in progress," Prince John notes the Heartless' timing and ordered the guards retreated and left the premises.

"It's the Heartless!" Matt says.

"In need of a hand?" asks Robin Hood as he readied his long sword and Little John patted his fists.

"Well, ain't this a nice party?" voice came from nowhere, deep, and raspy sounding. Then a short body jumped from the bushes. He wore a yellow jacket and red fedora. A black mask covers his face.

"Who's this creep?" asks Ashleigh.

"I don't know. Should we be worried?" asks Blue.

"Why, I'm NegaDuck," he says. "And yes, be very worried!"

"State your business," Robin says with sternness.

"Oh I don't know, I thought I could take a tour around your world," NegaDuck says, "And find something valuable right before I plunge it into darkness!"

"Something like what?" Dorian says as he unconsciously brought out his Keyblade.

He gazes at the Keyblade for five seconds. "So you're the new wielder?" He questions Dorian. "And you're the ones carrying those jewels? Looks like I got work cut out for me."

"Before you do anything," a blue haze leapt above NegaDuck and landed in front of him. It was Evelyn who appeared before him!

"It's you!" Matt quickly retorts. "I thought Jade kicked your ass back before the world was destroyed!"

"Quit stealing my spotlight, amigo," says Jade.

"Shh!" hushed Matt, "I'm on a roll here," he whispered.

"Man, shut up!" Dorian whispered to Matt, "You are not on a roll."

Dorian steps up and points the blade at Evelyn. "You're working with them, now? With that slime ball?"

"You're too kind," NegaDuck smirks.

"With a few goals on mind," chimes Evelyn. She vanishes without warning! Dorian looks around the field to spot her out of the crowd. Dorian hears a wisp coming closer to his front. He sees her reappear as he jumped back. His earth element jewel that hung around his neck is snatched off of him with blinding speed! She laughed at his loss and flung herself into the thick forest behind her.

"Hey," Dorian shouts as he chased Evelyn afterwards, "Give that back!"

"Get back here!" shouts a confused Matt. "Where are you going?"

"She took my crystal!" Dorian says. "I'll be back!"

Ashleigh stood with a vexed faced, almost as if she knew her. Her brows furrow and flew off the same direction Dorian ran off!

"Now where you're going?" shouts Matt as he saw Ashleigh sprint in Dorian's direction.

"Not right now!" says Jade in a concerned tone, "We deal with these jerks first!"

"Shadows, Soldiers," NegaDuck chants, "DO YOUR WORST!" He commands his army as violet clouds rolled in with rain.

Matt's hands shined with light and boxed away at the Shadows! "_**Punch Zapper!**_"

Two Soldiers lead Romeo and Lizzy away astray, "Time I tested the weapons on my contraption," Lizzy said.

"_**SPIDER Missiles**_!" Lizzy deploys mini-missile pods and shot at the Soldiers! Romeo readies himself as more Soldiers came to them.

"I'm ready when you are," Lizzy says, "_**Attach**_!" The robot hooked onto Romeo's head as a helmet, "_**SPIDER Smash**_!"

Nadine is surrounded by the Heartless, she shot unopened rose shrubbery from underground, "_**STRONG IVY**_!" The bush opens quickly and grows wildly to whip the Heartless out of her sight!

Jade, Sidney, Robin Hood, and Little John attacks NegaDuck. "This is nothing," says NegaDuck. He tossed bowling ball sized explosives at them!

When they exploded, Jade shoots from the cloud of smoke. "You've got a lot of nerve!" He screams!

"Of course I do. I'm evil!" laughs NegaDuck as he drew out a pitch-black saber imprinted with the Heartless insignia.

Jade screams, "_**Rainforest Kenpo: Rain of Bloody Claws**_!"

He darted towards NegaDuck as he guards with his saber, "Are you done yet?" Negaduck taunts him.

Jade continues to bombard the saber. "You're not ready yet," NegaDuck lifts Jade with his saber and finds an opening. In a single swipe, Negaduck deflects Jade's claws and wields an unseen blade. With it he cuts through Jade's scales!

"It's Bloody Rain, alright," says NegaDuck with a satisfied smirk. Jade was left holding his wound to prevent further bleeding on his back! As NegaDuck winds up for the final strike, Little John stood in front catching NegaDuck's arm in time, and then socks him in the face!

He tumbles and then gets back up. "We're wasting time here," he mumbles. "The Blot should have something by now." He then bellows, "But wait till the next time we meet. You won't be so lucky!" He and the Heartless retreat into a wavy wispy dark door.

"Hey, Rob," Little John called Robin Hood over, "You gonna be okay, buddy," he asked Jade.

"I've… had worse," Jade calmly responded. Nadine rushed to him and pulled out her pocket, a special ointment to stop his bleeding. "It stings," Jade snorted.

"Dude," Matt shook his head, "Seriously? They left! Just like that!"

"Let it go, Matt," Sidney says, "We'll probably see them later."

"Well, you're welcome as guests of Robin Hood and his Merry Men," he put. "So, what brings you to Sherwood?"

…

The drizzling rain pours gently onto Dorian's face as brushes through the twigs and branches. The rain picks the pace up and the drizzle became heavy. Lightning dances across the skies and Dorian mumbles his thoughts out loud. "How'd she even get my jewel?" Dorian thought. More rain fell on his face. "I don't remember her being fast at all!"

Dorian lifts a hanging branch above his head. As he continues his path the branch snaps back in place, thwacking someone over the head!

"BITCH! THAT HURTS!" Ashleigh massages the crown of her head to soothe the pain. Dorian turns around with a confused look on his face.

"Were you following me?" Dorian asks.

"I'm going to help you," Ashleigh says. Dorian moved on with her still following him.

"Why?" Dorian asks.

She rolls her eyes and asks back, "Your crystal?" She then asked Dorian. "Let me get it back for you."

Dorian and Ashleigh reach near the end of the forest finding Evelyn cradling the jewel with a lot of care.

"Yeah it's my jewel," Dorian says. "I'm the one who was supposed to look after it."

"Just stay here," Ashleigh insists strongly.

"What? NO," Dorian answers defiantly. "Clearly, I can handle myself."

"What's her nickname?" Ashleigh points at Evelyn's amble breasts. "You're just going to get beat by her," she says. Evelyn then perks her ears and picks her herself up off the ground.

"You just did not do that," Dorian rubs his face. "Just because… I mean her tits… sure they're big. Do you really think?" Then his voice becomes coarse. "She's not even all that attractive! I mean, look at her: she looks like something out of World of Warcraft. She's an ugly little goblin!"

"HEY!" Evelyn shouts. "I look nothing like a goblin! I look like a night elf!"

Ashleigh and Dorian look at her with oddity. Ashleigh looked at Dorian and he did the same. "Aren't they the same thing?" Dorian waves a hand gesture. Ashleigh exchanges silence.

"AW COME ON!" Dorian throws his arms in the air. "Why won't you let me kick her ass?"

"BECAUSE I SAID SO!" her eyes flare green, evidence that Dorian's great-uncle could be right about the Nefertiti necklace!

"Fine," Dorian raises his arm in the air in annoyance. "Have it your way, Nefertiti." Dorian stays away from the conflict, however he finds no use in hiding.

"Aw that's cute," Evelyn taunted. "Your girlfriend's gonna fight for you?"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Ashleigh stoutly stated.

After hearing that, Dorian clutched his chest. "That hurt a little bit," he mumbles.

"After what Tartarus told me about this thing," Evelyn responds by swinging his jewel around her finger. "Dorian's pretty powerless without it."

Dorian's nostrils flared and blew out steam. "Who the hell you callin' powerless?" he grits his teeth as he took another step. Ashleigh jammed her fist inches away from his face. She blasts ice-cold air in his face!

"Even though he's hotheaded and needs to chill out, he's not weak," Ashleigh retorts.

"That's touching," Evelyn says with a crooked smile. "But let me ask you, Dorian. Why?"

"I'm not getting it," Dorian answers.

"When we first met," Evelyn says in plain truth. "Madison and I plans for you as soon as you got better."

"Sounds terrifying," Dorian says.

"But you would've loved it!" Evelyn placed her hand on her right cheek. When she removed her hand, there seems to be a mysterious symbol tattooed there.

"Something's wrong with you," Ashleigh says in disgust.

Evelyn laughs as she escapes Ashleigh's sight! Evelyn jumps and released a barrage of kicks, "_**Azure Flash**_!"

Ashleigh envelops herself in a bubble to protect herself! Evelyn pops the bubble with her last kick and lands away from Ashleigh.

Evelyn pulls her leg up to stretch. "Don't think making bubbles will save you!" she ran to Ashleigh.

"Bring it, bitch!" Ashleigh huffs.

Evelyn leaps into the air, extending her lead leg out, "_**Crescent Luna Kick!**_"

Dorian observes the combat from a comfortable distance. "She needs to break the falling kick."

"_**Cool Air Dome!**_" Ashleigh channels cold air by waving her hand and surrounds herself with another bubble of cool air.

Evelyn lands her kick, squishing against Ashleigh's shield! When it popped Ashleigh yanks her forearm away from the kick! Evelyn's kick left a small hole in the dirt!

Dorian says to himself, "This ain't good. If Evelyn's close enough, she'll break Ashleigh's arm, or worse!"

"Really, bubbles?" Evelyn taunts. Her fingers mold into a knife shape!

"_**Atlanta**_," Ashleigh whispers. Evelyn runs closer and leaps towards her! Ashleigh ducks underneath Evelyn as if choreographing!

"_**Storm**_!" Ashleigh opens her palm and unleashes a powerful gale! The force threw Evelyn in the air. She lands on her feet, looking mad. "How dare you?"

Ashleigh taunts, "You thought this was a cheerleader tryout?"

Evelyn winds back up and runs to Ashleigh as she ran to Evelyn, both warding attacks!

"_**Navy Blue Kenpo,**_" Evelyn readies a roundhouse kick.

"_**Southerly**_," Ashleigh's arms and legs are coated with visible dust surrounding it

"_**Pirouette**_!"

"_**Breeze**_!" Ashleigh and Evelyn match their kicks at the same speed! They continue to throw their fists and feet at each other! Dorian sees Evelyn becoming fatigued.

"The jewel isn't giving Evelyn any power," he remarks. "That's good, but why? And what is it with Ashleigh's superpowers? I get she's able to manipulate the air surrounding her. How is she able to get those tiny tornadoes around her arms and legs like that?"

"_**Cerulean Dagger!**_" Evelyn tries to swipe at Ashleigh.

"_**Humidity Vanish!**_" Ashleigh barely gets away by vanishing in thin air! She sidesteps undetected behind Evelyn. With those tornadoes swirling at her fists, Ashleigh strikes Evelyn twice and then ends with an uppercut!

Evelyn falls back in the grass. "How's that!" Ashleigh says with a smirk.

Evelyn smiles deviously as blood dripped from her mouth, "I've… got you."

"What's going on?" Dorian notices that Ashleigh's body was frozen still with yellow dust surrounding her. "Ashleigh!" Dorian cries. Evelyn's hand morphed into the same knife shape.

"_**Speed Gear!**_" Dorian warps behind Evelyn and grabs her misshapen hand, "What'd you do?"

"_**Paralysis Hormones**_," Evelyn giggles as her skin secrets yellow liquid. The liquid evaporates into a haze. Dorian breathes in the haze at the wrong time, and momentarily stops breathing! His body is frozen as Evelyn pushes him back. He fell and Evelyn proceeded too close to his face.

"That's what I mean by you liking it," she teases as she playfully ran her finger down from his forehead. "Your nerves should unlock and ease up soon," her finger continued further down to his navel, rubbing circles around it. His mouth is not yet responsive but his eyes and eyebrows are. He made irate expressions, clearly indicating that he didn't want Evelyn touching him like that.

"Brandon was right about you being soft," Evelyn gently presses her finger in his navel, commenting about his physique. "Maybe another part of you wouldn't be," Evelyn's finger and thumb proceeded to unzip his pants.

"Excuse me," Ashleigh taps Evelyn's shoulder as she looked back and found Ashleigh with glowing green eyes!

Ashleigh opened her palm facing it towards Evelyn, and then "blue" air surrounded her hand facing the goblin, "_**Hurricane Beat**_!"

The force is so strong that Dorian's jewel around her neck flew off! Dorian regains mobility in his arm and catches the jewel. Evelyn crashes several meters away! "Goddamn it!" Evelyn weakly stands back up with pursed her lips. She throws her hand back and opens a wallow-y door with shadows pouring out. She steps in it and is gone.

Dorian regains feeling and mobility in the rest of his body. "So she's like a toxin girl?" he asks Ashleigh.

"I don't know," she says. "You still look stiff."

"What'd you mean?" Dorian asks. He looks down and realizes what Ashleigh meant. "But, thanks for getting it back for me," he suggested.

"Thank you again," Ashleigh says.

"For what?" Dorian asks, and then remembers. "Oh."

"You have bad memory," she says.

"No I don't," Dorian says. "Like for example, why'd you say that?"

"Say what?" Ashleigh squints, as did Dorian.

'I'm not his girlfriend,' Dorian repeats. "What were you trying to do with that?"

"What are you talking about?" Ashleigh asks him plainly. "We are friends. I said that to get a reaction out of her."

"That's nice," Dorian's voice became raspy. He cleared his throat.

She raises her brow and then said to him, "You actually thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Well, going world to world isn't my idea of dating. What's your take?" Dorian quizzically said. Ashleigh looks at him and blinks.

"Are we?" She asks.

"Or," Dorian suggests. "We can talk before we head back." He sits on a fallen log. He pats on a generous amount space of the log. Ashleigh looks left and rolls her eyes and reluctantly sits next to him.

"How do I know if you are being ingenuous?" Ashleigh squints at him.

"Why're you thinking I'm not?" Dorian asks. "Look. You don't owe me anything. Same thing goes for me. I don't owe you anything."

Ashleigh finally relaxes and gives way for Dorian's words. "Maybe I do owe you something," she says. Dorian takes a finger-long cigarillo from his shirt pocket. Seeing he has no lighter he strikes his thumb on his Keyblade, lighting it on fire! He takes a drag and breathes it out.

He looks at Ashleigh, who was bewildered by what she saw. "What?" he asks.

"Does that even hurt?" she asks. "No," she shakes her head. "That's not what I meant. Maybe travelling with you… you remember what happened after Chapter 2?"

"When you saved me from the Heartless?" Dorian remembers.

"That time," she says. "And then up until we got here. Maybe, you're not as bad as Brandon."

"Of course I'm not," Dorian says smiling. "My days with them are long over."

"So," she asks him. "What did you do when you were with the Bloody Black Rain?"


	14. A Chance at Archery

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 13: A Chance at Archery

Dorian and Ashleigh wonder through the forest, holding hands.

"That's pretty big," Ashleigh says to Dorian. The wrens chirp softly as the rain subsides. When wandering back to where they ran off, they smell a stew brewing and people chatting.

"You think that's big?" Dorian asks as he clears a branch in his way. "Just wait a year or so and you'll see."

The two finally made it out of the greenery, and ambled onto Robin Hood's encampment. There was the usual group, with Jade's ribs bandaged. And a new face: an elder, fat badger wearing a brown wool robe and sandals.

"Praise the Lord!" says the badger monk. "Your friends' have been worried sick about you two."

Sidney rises to give both of them grief, "That was not cool! We could've died!"

"Did anybody?" Dorian asks.

"I didn't come close," Jade says and gestures. "But that Negaduck. He has two weapons: a pitch-black espada and a thing shaped like yours."

"This?" Dorian answers with a flash of light in his hand. "Anyone find out what's he doing here?"

"No idea," Jade says.

"Actually," Robin chimes in. "The odd fellow did say something about find something valuable right before plunging our world into darkness. What did he mean by that?"

"We don't know," Dorian says. "We're just preventing him from doing any damage."

"Say Little John?" the friar asked. "You said this man has been hired by Prince John?"

"Maybe an extra hand to try to take Rob down," Little John said. "With him and I giving back to the people he's been taxing all around Sherwood, I'm guessing he's getting a little fed up. What we're doing is what Rob wants to call an 'honorable charity'. Am I right Rob?"

Robin is just standing there with his arms folded, thinking. "Rob," little John calls him. "Rob, Robby, Robin…"

Jade and Romeo sniff the air. "The stew's burning," Jade reminds the two. As soon as Robin sniffs, he notices and quickly rushes over to put out the flames and Little John waves over the burning scent! "You're burning the chow," says Little John. Blue assisted, "I'll cool it off." He transforms into a ball of water and covers the cauldron with his cool body.

"Sorry about lunch everybody," Robin apologizes. "I was daydreaming."

"About her again?" the Little John asked.

"Who?" Sidney asks.

"Well," Robin starts. "I've known her for a long time. I've wanted to ask her hand in marriage. But she is Prince John's niece."

"Aw, childhood romance," said Nadine, "How sweet!"

"Maid Marian?" the friar remembers her name. "Of course she hasn't been easy to get in contact with, lately."

The friar grabs three spoons for himself, Lizzy, and Blue and ate the stew. Something in the stew burnt their throats and then coughed out smoke rings.

"However," the friar said with a raspy, burnt tone, "Earlier, I took a *cough* stroll around Not *cough* ham and found *cough* some flyers."

"Do tell," Robin gains interest.

"Now, *cough*, *Cough*," Friar cleared his throat, "Excuse me. These flyers had something to do with an arch *cough* cherry tournament."

"An archery tournament?" Robin says. "I think I have an idea of who would be there."

"Yeah," Little John chuckles. "Ole bushel britches, the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham."

"Nope," said the friar. "Maid Marian."

"What for?" Robin questions.

"Here's what flyer reads," the friar quotes. 'The grand-prizewinner shall receive a golden arrow and a kiss from the lovely Maid Marian. Registration starts in an hour.'

"Oh-Da- La-Lee," Robin prances around, "What're we doing here?"

"Wait one damned minute," Matt says. "Why are we thinking about entering a tournament?"

"There might be a chance that Negaduck could be in it," Lizzy says. "Remember what we heard yesterday?"

"What about fitting in?" Matt asks.

"We have a bunch of costumes y'all could try on and decide what to be, says Little John.

"We've already signed ourselves to enter," Robin set his bow and shoots an arrow. "Just under pseudonyms." The arrow bounces off the cauldron and through Robin's hat and into a bull's eye on the tree.

Little John pulls out a trunk full of clothes.

"I'll hide in Little John's pocket," Lizzy says. "I'll relay messages from him." Robin Hood dresses himself as a tall stork with a Paper-Mache beak and two-foot high stilts. Little John wears small-fitting chancellor's clothes.

"I'll need two more people to tag along," Robin says. "Anyone shot an arrow before?"

No one in the Elemental Force was good at archery. Matt raised his hand, so did Nadine. Matt donned a Moorish costume and asks, "Why am I doing this again?"

Nadine wore plain ordinary medieval wear with a beret, Blue and Dorian wore monk's robes, and Sidney wore what any other princess would wear. Ashleigh puts on a nun's robe. Jade was dressed as an extra executor with a black mask covering his face. And they left Romeo the way he was. With everyone in their costume, they travel north on an open road. The day was quiet and bright with the sun's rays. After three miles, they reach a fair where the archery tournament is held. Different people from around the globe were here to compete, including NegaDuck. Like what the friar mentioned from the flyers, Maid Marian and her uncle Prince John will be observing the tournament, and the golden arrow presented in a glass case were there.

"Funny she should be here," Ashleigh says to Dorian as she pointed out that Evelyn dressed as a nun is there.

"Take a look at the little guy," Blue says to Dorian and points at a short statured man bearing a Heartless insignia on the back of his tunic.

"It's the Heart…" Blue tries to scream but Nadine kept him from doing that.

"Um, Friar Blusiel?" Ashleigh soothes him. "Perhaps it's not a good time

"Attention," called Prince John, "Attention, Everyone! The Nottingham Archery Tournament, sponsored by yours truly, will now begin. Will the following please step forth and take your positions:

Drake Mallard

The Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham

Nadine Yu

Kemal bin Nasir

William Scissor-Bill

Robin's putting up a show with his Southern Cockney accent, "Es a pleasure shooing arrows wit you all, Es a real treat!"

"The pleasure is all ours," said the sheriff.

"Too bad Robin Hood is too much of a coward to show up here," Nadine acts.

The little archer had said nothing. "Relax pal," says NegaDuck posing as Drake, "It's just fun and games until," he whispers.

Over where the prince was sitting, Little John made his grand entrance. "Ach, if it isn't Prince John, the man behind precious jewels, you're a handsome, dazzling lion."

"Eh," the doubtful Sir Hiss looked upon the fat Duke. "And who would you be?"

"I am Sir Reginald," he says. "Duke of Chutney."

"Here," the prince offered a seat by brushing Hiss off the chair.

"Now," Prince John whispered, "Scope the area for Robin Hood, then whisper to one of my men, and have him alert me of his presence."

"But, sss-ire," Hiss whines.

"Just do as I say," the prince lost temper through his whispering. Reluctantly, Hiss carries his order out.

"I will not lose this round," Matt acts through a strong western Asian accent. He shot first and the arrow hit the marker, not a bull's eye. "10 points for bin Nasir." The crowd had cheered for him.

"Feh," boasted Drake, "I can do better than that." Taking his small bow and arrow set, he fumbled with the longbow and quickly got entangled and finally fired. "5 points for Mallard." The crowd had laughed at him.

"Haw-Haw," the Sheriff chuckles, "Both of you are a lot of talk," he said as he fired. "Closest to the Bull's Eye, the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham, with 15 points!" The crowd had booed him.

"I'll try," says Nadine as she handled the bow and arrow set. She fires and out of luck, "First to hit Bull's Eye, Ms. Nadine Yu, with 20 points!" The crowd went to an uproar.

The little archer had taken position and fired. "Second to hit Bull's Eye, Mr. H. Archer, with 20 points!" The crowd was still in uproar.

"You know," said Scissor-Bill, "I think I'm a lot better than this here Robin Hood."

"Oh, naw," said the sheriff, "From what I hear, he's the best thief and best archer that England could lay her eyes on."

"I don't really think so," he said.

"Listen, Scissor-Bill," the sheriff said, "If you shoot just as well as you blabbermouth…"

"Alright-y then," Scissor Bill took stance, and shot, right between H. Archer and Nadine's arrows, "Third to hit Bull's Eye, Mr. William Scissor-Bill, with 20 points! Drake Mallard is eliminated. This concludes the first round."

The second round started with Scissor-Bill first, H. Archer second, Nadine third, the Sheriff fourth, and "Kemal bin Nasir" last. This round, the announcer wanted them to fire, the longest distance, all at once. "H. Archer and William Scissor-Bill are tied in first place, Nadine Yu in second, Kemal bin Nasir in third. The Sheriff of Nottingham is eliminated." The last round starts, the Duke of Chutney and the prince are bonding well, and Matt called Nadine over.

"I'm thinking I should throw the round to Robin," Matt says. "I'm getting bored."

"Just hang in there," Nadine says. "Negaduck probably planned something, like that little guy over there. That Heartless is matching Robin every match."

Nadine felt something smooth rub against her feet. She shivers as Matt asks. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's something crawling on my foot!" Matt looks down to find Sir Hiss was slithering on her foot. After hearing all of that he slips Matt's grasp!

"We've been discovered," she panics! Quickly Nadine and Matt tried to grab Hiss but got away, till Friar Tuck catches the serpent and sticks him down a barrel of Ale. "Unhand me you brute," Hiss hisses. The friar hammers him in the barrel and sticks the cork on.

"Everything all right?" the friar asks.

"Thank you," says Nadine. "We just need to get that H. Arrows out of the tournament."

"Y'all ain't hard to pick out from the crowd," Sidney spots them. "I figured y'all might want to hear this."

"From what Lizzy heard? Go on," Nadine says.

'P.J,' Sidney quotes Little John. "Said something about a "Mr. Hayalet" exchanging his service for information."

"What kind of information?" Matt whispers.

A young faced nun nosed into their business, listening intently to what they were whispering about.

"Sister, you mind?" the friar asked. "We can hold a prayer after we're done."

"Best be saying one now," the nun smiles as she threw off her robe revealing it was Evelyn all along! "William Scissor-Bill is Robin Hood," she exposed to the crowd. The prince grinned, and said smoothly to his guards, "Cease him."

"You hood-rat!" Matt says.

"When we get that weapon," she vanishes behind the shadow door again. "He'll be begging to come back to us. Bye!"

Three heavy guards grabbed hold of Robin Hood, "You thought you could outsmart me?" asks the prince. "Did you?"

"Let him go!" Maid Marian spoke. "He had done no wrong!"

"My dear naïve niece," he says. "How can an outlaw do no wrong? Stealing my gold and then giving it back? Thinking it would do the people good?"

"These people work hard and you just take their earnings from them!" Robin Hood defies Prince John. "King Richard would never do such thing!" he riles the crowd behind him!

"ENOUGH!" Prince John throws a fit! "I AM KING! By my crown, I sentence you to an instant and immediate death!"

As a monk, Dorian stood next to Maid Marian. With a bowed head, he looks up to Robin Hood with a smirk. Robin turns his head to find Jade dressed as an executioner.

"Um," the prince ponders. "Where is your axe, sir? Ooo!" the prince winced. "What? Untie… untie the prisoner!" he wails.

"Your majesty?" Jade asks.

"JUST UNTIE THE PRISONER!" he sounds like he was being tortured. "FOR HEAVEN'S SAKES, LET HIM GO!"

"SECURE THE PERIMETER!" NegaDuck signaled his Heartless. "NONE OF THESE FOOLS ESCAPES ALIVE!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Jade says as he throws off his cowl!

"Rainforest Kenpo: Three Thorns!" He stands on his hands and attacks the guards clutching Robin Hood. Jade hops up the thrown and Little John tosses up a sword, and then tosses it to Robin. He draws it to fight the sheriff guarding the Prince.

"Heartless Squads!" NegaDuck commands! "_**Round-Up**_!"

"You wanna try again?" NegaDuck taunts Jade as he glares at him.

Like a laser, Jade zeroes in on Negaduck! "So what if you're a little faster?" he asks. Negaduck barely put up his black saber in time to parry Jade's attack!

Two hulking Large Body Heartless waddled to Blue and Nadine. "Ocean Cloud," Blue turns himself into a storm cloud. "Rain!" As a cloud, Blue rained over the Large Bodies, slowing their movements!

"Strong Ivy!" Nadine digs her hands in the ground and sprout thick vines to crush the Heartless!

Surrounded by Shadows, Sidney feels overwhelmed. "Spider Missiles!" Lizzy flew into the scene with his Mobile Suit and launches an array of mini missiles at the Heartless.

Soldiers encircle Dorian in the monk's robe. He rips the robe off, summons his Keyblade, and slashes at the Heartless three times!

"Hey!" Jade calls Dorian's attention. "Here's what I was talking about!" Jade back flips to where Dorian stands.

"Ah," Dorian saw Negaduck's Keyblade. "I see what you mean. Did you have any problems with his saber?"

"No," Jade answers. They nod and then charge at Negaduck! He readies his pitch-black saber when Jade and Dorian crisscross each other towards him.

With adequate synchronization, Dorian and Jade leap in the air. Claws and blade clash. Negaduck could not handle both of their weight, but something made him gain strength.

He pushes both Jade and Dorian off and points his Keyblade at Dorian. "Face me now! I'm tired of lizard lips!"

"What was that?" Jade stepped in but Dorian halts him.

"I got this," Dorian says. "Lizzy needs you!" Jade falls back to let Dorian and Negaduck combat.

"You know," says NegaDuck. "I'm a jealous type of guy."

"What's your point?" Dorian asks.

"I don't like it when there's some rookie who's better at wielding the Keyblade," NegaDuck explains.

"I don't even know why I have it," says Dorian.

"Don't play stupid," he said. "What you're holding has the power to unlock worlds' hearts to let in darkness. Not just worlds' hearts, people's hearts as well. There is no way you would've been chosen!"

"If you have such a problem with me," Dorian quizzes. "Why don't you try killing me?"

Enraged, NegaDuck sheathes his saber and pulls out a ray gun matching the color his fedora! He shoots rounds of lasers at Dorian. He deflected every one of the shots until NegaDuck's ray gun ran dry. He tosses it aside!

"What the hell are you smiling at?" Negaduck turns to find Dorian missing. He turns to find him behind him! He gasps and asks, "Hey? What's with that orange glow around you?"

Dorian "puts" his Keyblade away, "You'll find out soon enough!"

"For what?" Negaduck was worried.

Dorian took stance for his next move, "_**GARNET**_… _**FLASH**_!" Dorian fires the energy at NegaDuck! He stood up to the blast for two seconds before being blown away two hundred yards!

The blast energy cleared and the dust clouds cleared as Negauck stood. "No one does that TO ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"_**Dark Counter**_," Negaduck mirrors Dorian's stance when firing the_** Garnet Flash! **_"_**Reverse Blast,**_"__he throws his hands at Dorian but__nothing happened.

"_**Dark Counter: Reverse Blast**_!" He tries again and still, nothing happened.

"Damn!" Negaduck looks at his hands. And then he looks up to find the _Elemental Force_ and the _Merry Men_ standing before him. "That blast attack must have more than magic to it!

Negaduck stands on his feet and opens a dark corridor. "You've gotten lucky, kid. But I'll a get you! And your wimpy little team!"

"Good riddance," the friar said. "Thank God. And to think that guy wouldn't quit."

"With him gone," says Maid Marian. "Maybe the people will rest a little easier."

"We've won!" Sidney and Blue cheer!

"Honestly," Robin Hood asks. "How could we ever thank you?"

A brilliant show of gold light cast off of the golden arrow. The light shapes it self into a visible keyhole!

"A keyhole?" Dorian asks. His Keyblade jerked him forward and shoots a thin beam of light into the keyhole made of gold light. A locking sound echoed as the keyhole disappeared, dropping a weird, blue cube with spikes on it.

"I guess it's time for y'all to go?" Little John asks the _Elemental Force_.

Romeo receives one more head scratch from Maid Marian before romping back to Ashleigh and Sidney.

"We might come back," Blue says. Matt picks up to carry him on his shoulders.

"We'll see," Matt says.

_Robin Hood and his Merry Men_ bode the _Elemental Force_ a heartfelt farewell! Dorian and his friends fought against Negaduck valiantly in two days. Though, one thing strikes Lizzy odd.

"What information could've been traded for service?" he asks every one.

…

"The rumor for centuries are finally proven true," the Phantom Blot says to Negaduck.

"Spare me the dramatics," Negaduck bandaged himself. "What did Prince John say?"

"There is a key just as powerful as the _**X**_-Blade," the Phantom says. "And it is hidden away on a world in the lowest depths. _The sunken Island of Atlas, Atlantis!_"


	15. Arch Nemesis

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 14: Arch Nemesis

"Let's head back to Radiant Garden," Lizzy suggests. "We should tell them about our run-in with Negaduck."

The _Elemental Force_ lands their colossal Gummi Ship near the chasm close to the lavender castle. "Cecil radioed us," Lizzy says. "What's happening here now?"

"Hey, you guys!" Prishe approached them catching her breath. "Glad you picked up Cecil's call. We have a little problem."

"Oh please-eth," Sidney comments. "What do you really need us for?"

"This guy is really annoying," said Prishe. "Every time we try to attack him, he would just cackle and attack back."

Lizzy leaps on Dorian's shoulder, "Is it Golbez again?"

"No it's not him," Prishe shook his head. "We forgot what his name is. But he was red and he looked a lot like Blue."

"It can't be," Blue steps forward from the tall crowd. He asks, "Do you remember him saying anything?"

"He did say 'only the prince can hurt me," Prishe quotes. "Sounds like a nutcase."

"Sounds like Ké Kama Kili!" Blue says his name. Everyone in the group produces a thought cloud with a giant question mark in it.

"Who is he?" Nadine asks.

"Back home," Blue reminisces. "We dealt with a thief that wanted to rule my kingdom. He has an unknown power that can bypass our guards, as if no commoner can battle him but Maarbel royalty. One year ago, my family encountered Kili outside the palace. Of the three men he wanted to battle, he chose me! My brother Goldino insisted he fought, but my father trusted me. With my ax in hand, Kili and I fought! Our battle lasted for four days, until a strong current swept both of us away! That was how I ended in Dorian and Sidney's world. The form you see now would've horrified the citizens, so I switched to this," Blue transforms back into the blue water ball Dorian met first. "No one would think a beach ball could threaten anyone."

"Why did he want to fight just you?" Prishe asks Blue.

"I'm the youngest," Blue answers and then reverts his transformation. "Kili thought he would have the advantage over beating the baby. And I proved him wrong!"

He turns his head up to find a scorching fireball fly towards the group. "GET AWAY!" He warns them to jump out the way. The rest look up to find who threw it!

"You haven't proved anything yet!" Ké Kama Kili hollers from a rock on the cliff. He stands the same height as Blue in his fish-man form. He sports a buzzed haircut. His skin is the opposite hue of Blue's, reddish black. His ears are the same as Blues', albeit ripped on the right ear. His nose is pointy like a shark's. He sports a gray lycra-like bodysuit. His eyes have darkened sclera and piercing yellow pupils!

"Nice to see you again your highness," Kili mocked Blue.

"_Scum of the Atlantic_," Blue draws his ax. "How did you follow me here?"

Kili jumps from the cliff rock, somersaults and lands on the balls of his feet! "Tartarus found someone with technological prowess," Kili answers. "Making it easier to track you all down."

"You're with Tartarus now?" Blue shrieks. "As if himself isn't enough!"

"It can't be!" Lizzy says. "How can he trace our energy readings?"

'Gamma rock particles," Kili quotes. "Or whatever the doctor said. And yes, I am. Watch what I can do with my new power!"

Steam rises from his skin. Kili raises his arm, creating a small fireball. He wound up to pitch, and threw the ball! Blue transforms and uses his body to absorb the fireball!

"Is that all?" Blue stared at Kili.

"Not the slightest!" Ké Kama Kili jumps back and leaps onto the roof of the first townhouse.

"What was that all about?" Dorian scratches his head. He and the rest turn their heads and see beams of light shooting out of Blue's ball form!

"I feel funny," Blue looks at his arms and then looks at everyone else. HE EXPLODES! Every one shields their faces from Blue's watery "gel" splashing everywhere!

"KEH-Keh-keh-keh-keh-KEH!" Kili laughs and jumps across the roofs, away from the _Elemental Force_ and Prishe!

"He killed Blue!" Prishe says wiping "gel" from her shoulder.

Some of the "gel" gathered on its own, reforming Blue's ball form face. "What happened," he sounds sick.

"How're you not dead?" a disgusted Jade leaps from the face.

"When in this form," Blue says. "My race is capable of regenerating from a blast like that. We need to stop Ké Kama Kili before he blows up this world, but–"

"Agreed," Dorian nods and leads his team to find Ké Kama Kili!

Prishe and the _Elemental Force_ went ahead while Blue still regenerates. "They could at least wait," he comments. As the last bit of "gel" reaches his puddle, Blue reforms into a ball and then back to fish-man form.

…

The Elemental Force last saw Ké Kama Kili running through the alleys. Some of the Victorian style townhouses were too tall to spot the red menace. Ashleigh volunteers to fly up to find Kili.

"I forgot she can fly," Matt comments. "Can't anyone else?"

"Well Dorian can," Lizzy hops up on Matt's shoulder. "But the shoes I made for him are for… _dire situations only_."

Ashleigh shouts to the group, "LOOK RIGHT!" They caught a glimpse of Ké Kama Kili on the last townhouse roof!

"Got you now girly!" Ké Kama Kili wound up a fiery pitch! "_**Fastball!**_"

"_**Atlanta Storm!**_" Ashleigh blows a wind and stops the bomb from touching her, but it detonates in her trajectory!

"Ashleigh!" Sidney cries.

"So!" Kili projects. "Where's the prince?"

"He'll be here," Nadine yelled at him. "You'll just have to deal with us!"

"KEH-keh-keh!" Kili laughs. "Are you kidding? You humans can't touch me!"

"We'll see," Nadine elongates her fingernails into long flowing vines. "_**Strong Ivy!**_" She lashed her vine whips at Ké Kama Kili. He jumps off the building, away from Nadine's attack. When Nadine finally catches him in a corner, she slashes Kili! But he was in his red ball form, so she slashed through him. The vines sit inside him, until Nadine panics.

"What's wrong?" Sidney asks. She saw Nadine's vines retract back into her fingers. Sidney and the rest saw how burned her hands looked.

"HE'S SCALDING HOT!" Nadine anguished.

"Like I've said before," Ké Kama Kili recites. "You can't hurt me! You need the prince if you want to have a shot of beating me!"

"Time you chill out!" Ashleigh clears from the bomb smoke. "_**Cool Air Dome!**_"

"The only way you could defeat me is as if you need another Maarbel," Kili rambles. "Then you need… when did it get cold?"

Ashleigh traps Ké Kama Kili inside the cool air bubble. Kili's gave off heat as the cold air touches his skin, causing steam to fill up the dome! The dome then had become solid, turning into thin ice. The dome shatters, revealing Ké Kama Kili in a dark shade of blue.

"Here I am!" Blue came running along. "What did I miss?"

The prince glances at his enemy. "Wow, you guys are good!"

Blue then glances at the side of Kili's left eye, finding a symbol Dorian and Ashleigh saw on Evelyn.

The group comes closer to Kili but he forms a swinging flail out of his hands and wards them off, the same way Blue forms his ax from his hands!

"H-h-h-Y-y-y-y-you h-h-all th-th-think th-that f-f-f-freezing me w-would s-s-s-stop m-m-m-m-me?" Ké Kama Kili stammers through his frostbite. His navy blue hue gradually warmed up to a violet. "You thought wrong! Only the prince can hurt me!" he says as his color changed from violet to red orange. He returned to his scalding hot state!

"We are more than enough for you you, jello boy!" Jade steps forth until Blue halts Jade from proceeding.

"Let me," Blue Eggy says as he formed his ax. "Other than electricity, it takes a Maarbel to kill another Maarbel."

Blue Eggy steps forth to Ké Kama Kili, "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" Kili asks.

"You're naught but a nuisance, Kili!" the prince says to the thief. Kili swings his flail downward at Blue! He blocked with his ax. The two Maarbels thrust and swing their weapons like gladiators of old history! Blue swings downward as Kili leaps out of the way. The thief picks up small rocks and chucks them at the prince. Blue shapes himself into a blue ball to protect himself from the thrown rock. He transforms back to see they were aimed at the ground around him rather than at him! "What're you doing?" Blue was confused about Kili's plan.

"_**Minefield Blast!**_" Ké Kama Kili raises his arm in the air and slammed the ground! This action causes the rocks to explode one by one! Blue tries to hop away from the explosions, but the rocks just blow up in his face no matter how near or far he is from them! Smoke gradually builds up and Blue has difficulty seeing through the minefield!

"KEH-keh-keh-keh-keh!" Ké Kama Kili laughs as he clears a path. "And to think we were once equal!"

"We aren't," Blue says. "_**Sea Breeze!**_" He cuts from the smoky fields, and dashes for Ké Kama Kili. Kili swings at Blue the wrong side and Blue dashes by him. Kili holds on to his side and found he was dripping "red water!" Kili turns around in anger and charges at the prince. He forms another flail and swings both of them! Blue guards the attack!

"_**Crushing Wave of the Pacific!**_" Blue's jewel shines and brandishes his ax to push Kili off. Seconds later, a wave of ocean water pushes Kili back even further! Kili groans loudly as he was slammed into the brick wall! His wound opened further, dripping more "red water."

"Damn it!" Kili curses. "Tartarus didn't even tell me out the power of the jewel. But at least, I know now!" Kili stands back on his feet and holds the Water Elemental Jewel!

"WHEN DID–" Blue looks everywhere on his person to find his jewel!

"The last strike was worth it," Ké Kama Kili says. Then he sticks out his arm and opens a Dark Corridor!

"_**Speed Gear!**_" Dorian tries to catch the thief, but the Dark Corridor vaporized as Ké Kama Kili stepped behind it.

"SHIT!" Dorian slams his Keyblade! "He's got one!"

Blue knelt down looking defeated.

"Come on, little dude," Matt comforts Blue. "It's not the end yet."

Dorian relaxes himself. "At least he doesn't know how to use it," he says. "When Evelyn took mine, she just got her ass kicked by Ashleigh."

"What if he does know?" Lizzy is terrified of the thought.

"It's just one of seven," Matt says.

"We'll look around to see if that cherry jello ball is still here," Prishe says.

Prishe and the _Elemental Force_ travel out of the alleys and split up to find the thief. On the far side of the town, another Dark Corridor opens to find Ké Kama Kili stepping out.

"That big cheapskate," Kili mumbles to himself. "He thinks he can boss other people getting what he wants. And what was it NegaDuck and the Phantom Blot kept going on and on about this _legendary weapon_? If that weapon is the same as that guy who has that orange Key, I'll see if I can find this _weapon _on my own first!"

"KEH-keh-keh-keh-keh!" Ké Kama Kili dons the Water Elemental Jewel. "With this and this so called legendary Keyblade, I would be just as powerful as Tartarus! Maybe even stronger!" Kili cackles madly as he opens another Dark Corridor, unknown to where elsehe would go next!


	16. Who was waiting for us?

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 15: Who was waiting for us?

The _Elemental Force _cruise through space blasting Heartless ships away. Inside the upper port cabin, Blue sulked. His tears soak the panel, feeling as if he let down his whole team by losing the jewel.

"Blue," Ashleigh said to him through the intercom. "Don't sweat it. If Evelyn didn't know how to use Dorian's, pretty sure he wouldn't know."

"But still," Lizzy berates him. "How could you let that red pudding ball take it from you?"

"Lizzy, enough!" Sidney quips. "We'll figure a way out. Maybe we could track Ké Kama Kili on this world."

"By the way, what is **this world**?" Matt asks. "Ya'll keep saying we're going to **this world**, **this world**. What is **this world**?"

The rest of the _Elemental Force_ cannot tell him what world. They were close, but it was surrounded by too many storm clouds!

"You sure we should land here?" Nadine asks.

"I don't see why not," Dorian says. They steer near and find an available docking spot. They open their cockpits and find themselves at the bottom of a low hill. A mansion sits on top of another hill, hidden away by lush willows. They walked forward, finding long streets and brick houses unsynchronized of each other on both sides of the street.

"ACK!" Sidney gawks and pulls her jacket over her head. Heavy rain pours fast and every one runs up the cascading street!

"I could use the rain now," Blue says as Romeo leap in the rain. Lightning barrels through the sky, the dog yelps and ran to Sidney shivering.

"Finally," Lizzy pops out of his mobile suit. "I've just finished my blueprint for my new suit." He looks up to find every one getting soaked. "I may have something in my mobile suit to block the rain out."

"You do?" every one asks.

"_**SPIDER… Umbrella Shield**_," Lizzy deploys an umbrella from his mobile suit, only fitting his size!

"You're so selfish," Nadine complains to Lizzy.

"There isn't anything I can do about it," he responded.

"HEY! LOOK!" Matt points forward. Only Ashleigh and Dorian looked that way, to find an hourglass silhouette in the mist.

"What was that?" Ashleigh asks. She turns to Dorian, who was rubbing his eyes from the fogginess. He looks up again and the shocked to find…

"MY HOUSE!" Dorian shakes his head in disbelief at first. "We're home? We're back On Charm City?"

Every one cheers as they rush to Dorian and Sidney's house! Dorian checks his pockets, "house keys, house keys, house keys… Where're my keys?" he despairs.

"Why don't you try that Keyblade of yours?" Sidney suggests.

"EH? It's too big to fit," Dorian says angrily until he realized he once "locked" a world. "Oh."

"Well, try something!" Ashleigh says, "We're getting soaked!"

Dorian summons his Keyblade and seeks if he can "unlock" the front door to the house.

"We have trouble!" Blue shrieks as an army of Shadows, Soldiers, Mega Chirps, Large Bodies and a new breed emerges from the mist! The new breed is skinny but stood as tall as the Large Bodies. They wore red, baggy hooded jumpsuits and took out their handguns out of their pockets, and steadily aimed at the _Elemental Force_. Then a tall figure completely different from the Heartless came forth out from the massive army.

His armor is slate gray with the Heartless emblem blazoned on the breastplate. The visor of his helmet didn't shield his nose however he removes the helmet forward. He looked to be a tall, slender rat with small buckteeth and rounded ears. He looked upon them and smirked. "I figured you guys were tough," he ensues. "But after seeing my first Super Shadow fall like that, I figured I had to make some precautions."

Dorian and Ashleigh remember the Super Shadow from Chapter 2. "So," Ashleigh asks. "You sent that monster here?"

"To our beloved Charm City?" Dorian raises his voice. "You're Mortimer?"

"My prestige proceeds even myself," Mortimer bows. "Glad we could finally meet face-to-face."

"That thing almost killed him!" Lizzy points at Mortimer. "As if it was going to eat him!"

"Eat him?" Mortimer rubs his head. "Heartless don't need to eat hearts! Unless…"

"Unless what?" Lizzy questions.

"None of your business," he shrugs. "Anway, Tartarus wanted me to take a gander of this miserable world before its heart gives out."

"Miserable?" Sidney includes. "Our world has always been miserable."

"The monster was going to rampage east and eventually destroy the Yusuf Meyerhof Symphony Hall," Lizzy mentions.

"OH GOD! WHY?" Sidney cringes her fingers in fear and anger of twisted imagination.

"See? This city isn't as miserable as you think," Lizzy points out.

Matt pauses and asks, "Why'd you even send that monster here?"

Mortimer folds his arms. "Neagaduck thought that there was another Keyblade wielder here. He also said he would've wasted his time seeking the wielder. So he told me to drop it on this world."

The rain turns to light drizzle. Dorian summons his Keyblade again, to show to Mortimer. "You see this? You see who's behind me? CLEARLY, both of y'all made a mistake!"

"Hardly," Mortimer answers. "Letting him live was mistake, that guy's a nut! We're looking for _a weapon_ that's 100 times stronger than that twig you got!"

"Furthermore," he swings his lance out for battle! "Challenging me would be your last mistake!"

"Is that Right?" Dorian waves his Keyblade violently.

Ashleigh loyally stands by Dorian without any show of fear! However, the rest of the _Elemental Force_ huddles against each other. "Eh-HEY," Dorian looked behind to see what was happening. "WHERE'S your pride?"

Mortimer spins and slams his lance. "After I'm done, you won't bother us anymore! Shadows, Soldiers, Mega Chirps, Large Bodies, Hoodlums," he orders, "_**Attack!**_"

The Hoodlums shoot multiple times at the _Elemental Force_, making them disperse from the huddle!

"Those new Heartless are good marksmen!" Lizzy finds info with his SPIDER Bot. "Make this quick! I want to build my new suit!"

"Have your SPIDER fight!" Blue says as he swings his ax. "Like on the other worlds we visited," he swipes at the Soldier.

"Focus!" Matt yells. "_**Electro Nail!**_" Matt punches the ground and bolts fly up underneath the Soldiers! "Rain soaked Heartless really help!"

He only defeated a few Soldiers and one Large Body! There were more Large Bodies and Hoodlums that remained.

"There's still too many!" Sidney whines. "We're gonna die!"

"My wounds aren't going to let me fight as much!" Jade comments about his would from the skirmish from Negaduck much earlier. "At this rate, I might black out. ROMEO!"

The corgi gnaws at the foot of the Hoodlum but was unaffected and tosses him towards Jade and Sidney! Ready to shoot them point blank, the Hoodlums cornered the trio! Before they pull their triggers, a short beam of pink light dispersed and punctured the heads of the Hoodlums! The Heartless dissipate from the air, and Jade, Sidney and Romeo are free!

"I can take them!" Matt says but the cumbersome Large Bodies overwhelmed him. "Three at once?" he looked around him.

Nadine wraps her ivy around the heads of all three Large Bodies but they yank and toss her like a ragdoll! As Blue valiantly jumps into battle, he sees the same pink light disperse and scatter.

"That's a pretty light," he says. The light shot through the Heartless and they have vanished!

Lizzy fires multiple missiles at the Mega Chirps but they came to close, scrapping his SPIDER Bot. Ashleigh found Lizzy at the mercy of the bat Heartless, ready to be torn to shreds! She was about to blow them off until more Soldiers and Shadows jumped on her! Dorian was about get to them off of her until Mortimer halts him with his lance. "You can't save your friends now!"

"Watch me!" Dorian forcefully lifts Mortimer's lance! With a wicked grin, Mortimer snaps his fingers! He summons more Hoodlums and more Large Bodies, all of which have the _Elemental Force_ surrounded!

"Let's be real here, kid," Mortimer says. "So long as this world is about to be swallowed by the darkness, more Heartless show up. Ya can't stop me!"

Dorian glares between his friends and Mortimer. He still went ahead into the fray, even though it may cost him his life. He lets their screams sink in. He only heard them and his heart thump fast! He breathes through his nostrils, sniffing the stench the Heartless gave off. After his exhale, he saw a large ray of pink light scattering into smaller bits of pink light and penetrated the Heartless bodies! All of them disperse into a violet spray with many hearts floating up into the sky! Every one is pandering over who or what saved them from impending doom. Mortimer looks irately to the opposite side of where the beams of pink light came from. "WHO ELSE IS HERE?" Mortimer yells into the mist.

"Maybe it was an angel that heard us," Sidney looks up.

"They could've been like stray bullets or something," Matt hypothesizes.

"But what bullet would leave behind a pink trail of light," Nadine panders.

"My machine!" Lizzy grieves over his broken mobile suit.

Dorian grabs Mortimer's lance. "Who's mistaken?" Dorian asks.

Mortimer jumps back and readies his lance. He darts to Dorian, jumps in mid-air, and tries to skewer him!

"_**Speed Gear**_," Dorian wisps into dodge, avoiding his attack and appear to Mortimer's left side.

"Too bad!" Dorian mocks as he readies his fists! "_**Rhythm Kenpo… Cobradunga!**_" Dorian times himself for quick jabbing to Mortimer's ribcage, despite his armor!

"You can't hurt me that way!" Mortimer taunts as Dorian punches away, causing loud, trembling vibrations throughout his armor! Dorian backs off and Mortimer tries to stand still, but the reverberations made Mortimer collapse.

"Ugh!" he coughs as he recovered. "Not too shabby, kid."

"Really!" Dorian said, "Needed someone to fine-tune my technique."

"Now you're getting cocky!" Mortimer got up and spins his lance like a jet turbine! "_**Airstream Tunnel!**_"

The speeds of the winds pick up and Dorian is sucked inside. "Shit!" Dorian lost control of his movement in the tunnel.

"How'd you like that?" Mortimer snickers. "My airstreams are so strong, it can suck up a skyscraper!"

"_**Slipstream!**_" Mortimer positions his lance as if jousting. He runs inside and rides the current! He hammers Dorian with his lance and exits out of the tunnel, only to strike Dorian again! This time Mortimer nicks him! He leaves the tunnel, leaving Dorian covered in red stripes!

"How's that!" Mortimer ridicules, "Not so high and mighty are we?"

"It's taken sometime," Dorian rises up on his feet with ease with a crooked smile. "But I've finally learned how to heal on my own with the jewel."

"Oh," Mortimer ponders. "So no potions, then?"

"Don't need them," Dorian says.

"So you think you're tougher than rocks?" he asks.

"In a way," Dorian jokingly says.

"I'm capable of breaking canyon stone," so Mortimer claims.

"Big talk," Dorian brushes off.

"_**Strong**_…"

Mortimer leaps in the air, like he's about to smash Dorian.

Mortimer touches down, Dorian dashes out his reach! Or…

"_**Sweep!**_" Mortimer literally sweeps Dorian's feet off to the concrete!

"See," Mortimer mocks him. "I can break canyon stone."

"No you didn't," Dorian says. "You chipped it."

Matt hears about canyons. He cheers Dorian on, "Stronger than the Grand Canyon!"

"Stronger than Mt. Everest!" Sidney cheers along with Matt.

"Let's see that monster power of yours!" Jade joins the squad.

"Show him we're Charm City Strong!" Ashleigh shouts.

"You got endurance, kid," Mortimer frowns. "I'll give you that!"

"You forgot something else," Dorian grabs both of Mortimer's legs behind him!

"Hey," he panics. "Let me go! Let me go, damn it!"

"You forgot that I'm a little crazy," Dorian says with a grin as he picked himself up to a crouch.

He gasps, "You wouldn't!"

"Yes I would! Like a large snake what caught his rat," Dorian recited a "poem." "But then there's something diseased with the rat and then he decides to throw it away. _**Rhythm Kenpo… Inyoka Toss**_!"

In one good throw, Dorian slams Mortimer to the concrete! He let Mortimer's feet go and just leaving for… not dead. "Get up," Dorian says coldly. "And get the hell off our world!"

Mortimer's armor is heavily dented and scratched, why even his face was a bloody mess. He utters, "You're… so brutal!"

"Me? You mean WE are?" Dorian declares. "Go crawl back to Negaduck and tell him WE would like to speak to him ourselves!"

"You'll regret this day," he got up running and opening a Dark Corridor. "We'll be more than a handful for you guys sooner or later!"

"Too easy!" Dorian says. "It'd be nice to our own pep squad."

Jade gives him that look like he should've fought Mortimer, but is satisfied.

Ashleigh, Matt, Sidney, Blue, and Romeo are too happy hugging each other for their leader's victory. Nadine and Lizzy look like they seen a monster.

"Please tell me," Lizzy crawls from his battered SPIDER mobile suit. "Was that really you?"

"No. I'm Luke Cage," Dorian says. "Of course it's still me!"

"How did you tap into that kind of power?" Nadine gawks.

"He was featherweight," Dorian says jokingly. "He weighed like a hundred pounds!"

"OH," every one relived. "We thought you were a monster."

"Real funny," Dorian says. "Can we get in the house before it rains again?"

It already started pouring lightly. "You jinxed the weather?" Sidney asks loudly.

Dorian "pulls" out his Keyblade and then a beam shoots out from the end into the lock. Dorian twists the doorknob and opens it.

"Hurry up, already!" said an irritated voice.

Dorian turns around if it was Ashleigh. Ashleigh turns back around, "Did anybody say something?"

Every one else shook their heads, as the _Elemental Force_ darts inside, just in time before the rain poured any heavier!

Matt locks the door behind. "Dude, something's up with Charm City! How could the rain go from warm to COLD in humid weather?" He then shivers.

Romeo shivers after feeling the icy sting of the rain. Sidney grabs a towel from downstairs to dry the dog off. "To be back home," Sidney says. "And take a hot bath, and eat and…"

"Drink," said the same voice from earlier.

"Drink? For what?" Dorian asks. "Ah whatever. Pick your poison now that we're here. Who wants to challenge my drink making skill while I'm up," Dorian asks. "Anyone? Who ever asked? Did you know that I'm not the only one going crazy here?"

"You're not the only one. I heard it, too," says Nadine.

"And the voice," says Jade showing her off. "Is coming from this fine lady standing next to me."

A moment of dead silence…

"WHAT?" they look to find a succubus in the house!

"SHE DEMON!" Matt snuggles closely to Nadine, uncomfortably close! He then pulls a cross from his pocket. "THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YE FROM THIS HOUSE! EVIL, DISPEL AND BE AWAY WITH YE!"

"Too close," Nadine warns.

"She Demon?" the succubus looks around frightened. "I'm scared! Where?"

"IT'S YOU!" Dorian points. Suddenly the succubus snuggles around him, thus arousing him uncomfortably. She lets a soft squeal, as if she remembers him.

"Dorian," Nadine warns. "Get away from her! She'll induce temptations, and she'll suck the life out of you!"

"You're so disrespectful," says the succubus. "I'm not a succubus, if that's what your thinking."

"How come I can't move?" Dorian looks spooked as he whispered, "Eh-Help me!"

"Why's everybody screaming and yelling?" Ashleigh comes of the kitchen with a mug of hot tea. When she saw the strange woman hugging Dorian tightly, she drops the mugs. The woman and Dorian look at Ashleigh and Ashleigh bells out:

"SHE DEMON!" Ashleigh's tears drip comically. "YOU THINK THIS IS GAME, DORIAN?"

"WHAT GAME?" Dorian asks back comically.

The succubus rolls her eyes and shakes her head in irritation. "Slow your roll, Nefertiti," the woman calls her by her nickname.

She lets go of Dorian immediately and asks Dorian and Ashleigh, "Why no one recognizes me anymore? Not my daddy, not my friends, and now not you two. And y'all need to chill with that 'succubus' bullshit."

"Well," Dorian asks up. "How could just hug me like that and know who Ashleigh is?"

"I have an idea," the strange woman pulls a laminated pamphlet from behind her belt and hands it to Ashleigh.

She reluctantly took the paper and reads it. "This obituary was dated two years ago." Dorian walks over to see the paper. They scope at the face on the front of the pamphlet. A pretty young face, Dorian and Ashleigh peer at the woman's amazing body: From her head, down to her large breasts, little waist, and sizable hips. The succubus is a lot more rounded out than Ashleigh's figure.

"I was a sophomore at that time," Dorian whispers. He falls back on the stairs with his hands covering his face to hide tears.

Ashleigh couldn't hold back her tears either. She sobs as every tear dripped to the wooden floor.

"Hey, it's alright," said the young woman as she holds Ashleigh. "I thought this would be a happy moment."

"We are happy!" Dorian's voice jerked from crying. "I missed you so much!"

Ashleigh blows her nose with a tissue Dorian provided. "We thought you died," says Ashleigh.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Matt stops. "Died? Who's dead?"

"Nah," Dorian says as he clears his voice. "This whole thing happened two years ago. Anastasia, or Tanya as we could call her," Dorian recollects his memory, "a senior student from St. Karen's School for Young Woman, died tragically in a truck crash on southbound I-695. Some say it was really heavy rain that blurred your road vision." Tanya looked at Dorian as he wiped his tears.

"Are you still with them?" she asks.


	17. Memoir of Junior Year

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 16: Memoir of Junior Year

I look at Tanya when she asked that question. My mom wanted to transfer me from a 'rogues academy' called Stutter's Mill High. Every day in one month I would come back home with stories to tell about vicious students who loved nothing but getting into fights and avoid schooling at all costs. Did I mention they never gave a damn about their grades? My last day, I came back home with a black eye and threats. In a way, that was like a warzone. If it weren't impossible, then I would've made friends there. However, that's wishful thinking. I was bullied because I was eager to learn. That was the last straw for Mom. She visited the Old Line website and found a cheery high school within the city boundaries. By the end of September, I moved from Stutter's Mill to Blue Jay Jones. I was still the same kid willing to bust his ass for an education. I was apprehensive to wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie every day. I never liked the new habit, but it had grown on me in the later years.

The beginning of the freshman year, I thought my troubles from Stutter's Mill would leave me alone. One cold morning in November, I left my backpack at home and I needed to finish my history project. One asshole student thought it was a good idea to flip three textbooks out of my hands. They hit the pavement and their spines came undone and the pages scattered. He laughed as I was losing time. All of my sorrow and anguish from my past would resurface, and then… I let him have it! One punch knocked him away from where I stood. I hurried to get my books back together but the same asshole came back to torture me. That was when she stood up behind me. She waved her finger at him and told him he probably deserved that hit. He rolled his eyes, scoffed, and then walked away. That was when I first met Anastasia. She kneeled to help me piece my books back together. She even offered tutoring at St. Karen's School. That was the only time I blushed so hard.

Things changed drastically after my freshman year. Remember when I said I was easily preyed on in my past back in Chapter 2? The same asshole didn't learn his lesson from last time, thought it was a good idea to set a bounty on my head in school. During my sophomore year, young men seek to bully me and to fight me anywhere, everywhere! I couldn't keep up with this bounty program, so I had no other choice but to join the Bloody Black Rain! Whenever I walk into the school with them, the boys that were after me left me alone. It was good protection, but that was the outside. On the inside, it was like stepping deeper into Hell. Brandon, who we call Snipes, had arranged a meeting between Santiago "Boss" Smiley and me. He saw potential in me being a prizefighter, though Snipes visibly disagreed. The Rain conditioned my body the way it is now. And there struck another reason why I was with them: save for college. My mom worked hard to put food on our table, so I thought it was up to me to take responsibility. I found a way to balance study and violent entertainment. Snipes told me it was up to me tell anyone close I know to let them know I was a part of an underground fighting group. I told no one, but Tanya. She was the first. Tanya lashed at me. She used to roll with Demarcus, who we call Doctor Meff. She told me that the Bloody Black Rain was a branch of a bigger, powerful street gang! I told her I was only fighting. Even if I did tell her the truth, the look on her face says it was still a horrible idea. I didn't believe her at first.

"Are you still with them?" Tanya asked again. She asked me the same question weeks after St. Sinai discharged me around the end of February 2006. This was after Buckshot Wallace beaten me in the final round in Exiled Warriors Tournament. I wanted to say yes, since Tank, Demarcus, Ronin, and Brandon were fuming after what happened. I won't forget that day, when the tournament sponsor and the administrator said they were going to award me with a 'scholarship,' even if I lost. The amount was large enough to compensate two whole years worth. They would have hand delivered the Munny to me as soon as the hospital let me go. That is, if they weren't within an inch of their lives and then robbed! I rushed out of the lobby after hearing slamming against the pillars. There was the sponsor and the administrator, beaten to a pulp. Snipes pulled his handguns and threatened to shoot until they see Munny by "tens-of-thousands." I saw the two pull out their checks, both equating to 15,000 Munny! All of my effort, gone! All of my effort, washed away! Everything I worked for, down the fucking drain! Tank, or Wayne came from nowhere and hit me across my face! I opened my eyes to see A.J., or Ronin, with his katana out ready to cut my legs off and Demarcus with his special grenade. Brandon walked out from an alley and Wayne let me go so he would allow me to "bow" before the leader of the Bloody Black Rain. He aimed his signature handguns at my temples.

"My fights! My Munny!" I shouted at him. Tears streamed down my face. "Ya'll got 50% of my earnings, I keep 50! What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

"You plan on going to college?" Brandon said. "That's some dumbass shit. What schools accept us?"

"Any one," I said. "As long as you want to learn something. There're so many programs in Charm City that can reshape anyone, like you. Like us!"

"Shut your naïve ass up!" Brandon shouted. "They don't work! They all never worked! All they do is bring you in, sit you down, talk, and then you're out the fucking door! I've been there!"

"You don't even care, do you?" I shouted back. "You either in the cage or in the casket?"

Brandon angrily pistol-whipped me! I fell back and Tank stomped on my already broken ribs. He lifts his foot as Brandon pointed his gun at my temple again. Brandon was seconds away from pulling the trigger until one lady pulled her handgun out of her pocket.

"You disgust me, Brandon!" I knew I heard Tanya's voice.

"Stay away babe, or you're next!" Doctor Meff threatened her.

Brandon's eye twitched then told me. "Lucky for you, the boss doesn't want you six feet under yet," Brandon kicks me in the gut. "Meet back at our spot at 10 pm."

Luckily, there were a few witnesses dialing for police. I said nothing as I stood back on my feet. Everyone else continued with their business, except the young woman from St. Karen's School.

"You okay?" Tanya ran to me and dusted me off. "Didn't I say not to mess with them?"

"Mess with them?" I parroted her. "They shouldn't have fucked with me!"

The skies turned grayer as light rain gently poured. "Now they got you where they want you," she said. "What are you going to do?"

"Tell them to drink my piss," I said. "I'm quitting."

Her pupils narrowed after she heard that. "You can't just quit them, Dorian! Do you know who they are?"

"I don't care," I said. "I'm not putting up with their shit anymore."

"You're really dead set on this?" Tanya asked with a little tear forming. "You're going…"

"To be fine," I finished. The metro bus drove by as the rain picked up the pace. "I'll see you later," I said my 'last words' to her.

Later on that evening, I plopped down on the couch to see the local news. The thunder shook the skies as lightning danced. The rain was severe. The newscast told of a young woman was driving west from St. Sinai Hospital until a construction type truck struck a blue Chevy Cobalt head on. Tanya drove that same car…

Dorian's tears streamed. "I didn't believe that you would be right in front of me again."

"Nope," Tanya said as she sat down very lady-like. "But you haven't answered my question yet. Are you still with the Bloody Black Rain or not?"

"Not anymore," Dorian responds.

Tanya sips Ashleigh's tea. "How did that go?"

"Boss Smiley gave me one last mission," Dorian said.

"Mission?" Tanya pursued. "What mission?"

"He thought of it as this 'redemption move' for me and the new man, PG Fats," Dorian answers. "We were to kill a cop's wife."

"And?" Tanya arches her brows.

"He killed PG Fats a couple months ago," Ashleigh finishes. Tanya uses a spit take to relieve the tension.

"Look at where you got yourself!" Tanya rises to pull on Dorian's hair. "I told you to LEAVE the Bloody Black Rain! But you had to kill one of them!"

"Yeah," Dorian seethed. "But he was gonna rape the cop's wife! And she was pregnant!"

"YOU FREAKING IDIOT!" Tanya continued to pull on Dorian's hair until she slammed his face in the wall. "Wait! You did what?"

"There goes the wall," Nadine finds Dorian's face print left there. "He's telling the truth."

"He told us about how his friend Stretch was in danger," Ashleigh said. "Evelyn and Madison are a part of the Bloody Black Rain, too!"

"Who decided it was up to you to play hero?" Tanya screams as she reels Dorian's head back. His elemental jewel leaps from under his shirt and up to his face. She stopped and was calmed by the aura surrounding the jewel. She instantly let Dorian go and let him fall to the floor.

"Our fearless leader has shown fear for the first time," Matt comments on Tanya's brutal outrage.

"I forgot how Tanya's like a volcano," Ashleigh comments on Tanya's temper.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman bashing your brains out," Jade says with widened eyes.

"I'm gonna stay on her good side from here on out," Nadine says wisely.

"What happened?" Sidney came out of her room with Romeo.

"I heard banging and screaming," Blue came out of the bathroom. "I thought it was the Bloody Black Rain."

"PEOPLE, PLEASE!" Lizzy barges from his lab. "I must put together my new suit in PEACE!"

All for who weren't there to see Tanya, panic to see a she-demon in the house, much to Tanya's chagrin.

"AN ACTUAL SUCCUBUS!" Lizzy screams.

"SO THE LEGENDS ARE TRUE!" Blue announces.

"AND DORIAN'S THE FIRST VICTIM!" Sidney wails as Romeo howls.

"Knock it off!" Tanya says with evil eyes staring at them. All of them silenced and then she turned her attention to Dorian's jewel. "What's this?"

"That, Tanya," Dorian returns to his optimistic self, "Is an Elemental Jewel." It glittered as she held it in the light. Her face held wonder as she continued to hold it.

"Stop playing," she said. "It's quartz."

"He's not playing," Lizzy hops down the stairs. "And neither are the rest of us." Everyone but Blue held their jewels for Tanya to see. She gasps to see the jewels glow. "The funny thing is that discovered these in our backyard.," Lizzy says. "They grant us more than super strength and speed, but also the power of the represented element of the jewel."

"That's cool," she awes. "But can anyone explain why Charm City's like the way it is? It's been weird weather non-stop ever since I came back to life."

"But," Ashleigh perplexed. "How did you come back from the dead?"

"You want to know how?" Tanya asks.

"Like a zombie?" Matt questions.

"Kind of," Tanya laughs. "Only without the corroding skin. St. Karen's itself must have something planned for the few girls who went there."

"And I thought the myths in the West Coast were weird," Matt crosses his arms. "I'm curious about St. Karen's. Like, for example, the two girls that are chasing Dorian, they were..."

"Who?" Tanya asks.

"Madison and Evelyn," Ashleigh answers.

"Those two!" Tanya crosses her arms showing discomfort. "They're after you?" Tanya's eyebrows arched. "I swear they disgust me sometimes. Anything to get what they want."

"They're nasty," Dorian adds.

"You're the one to talk," Ashleigh reminds him.

"Anyway," Matt cut in. "What about St. Karen's?"

"Whaddya mean?" Tanya tilts her head right. "Oh the tragic accidents and then the bizarre transformations. I don't know."

"Come on," Matt inquired. "Is the school enchanted or something?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Something about the first president of the school was a Lutheran convert to Wiccan," Tanya grew disinterested with how she became to be. "But the little lizard was going to say something."

"What's SO boring about a resurrection?" Matt implied.

"The weather, right," Lizzy began. "A tyrannical alien named Tartarus had come to our world at least 2,000 years ago. He awakened and randomly found us with the jewels. He tried to use his power to disintegrate us."

"He used the power of the darkness in his heart to overthrow Charm City," Jade adds. "We barely managed to get away from him."

"That's why the weather's been chaotic," Lizzy finishes.

Tanya gave everyone a weird look. "Where the hell have I been?" she asks. "No, what are you guys on?"

…

The clock read 6:45 pm, and every one was in their downtime zone. Sidney hadn't the chance to touch her beloved cello. It's still pouring like no tomorrow, and Dorian was sitting in his room, watching videos from Lizzy's surveillance cameras on a 13x30 in wall screen.

"You think I could get cable through here?" Dorian asks Lizzy.

"FOCUS!" Lizzy hisses. "This weather may be a symptom that our world's heart might be infected."

"We just learnt that worlds also have hearts days ago," Dorian gestures. "It's not like you've written a research paper about it!"

"Just… starting," Lizzy seethed with impatience. "Tartarus can summon a bunch of hurricanes through here. Who knows what the extent of his power is."

"Maybe," Dorian adds. "Maybe he has the ability to control the Heartless." By stepping on a button, Lizzy switches to another screen on the monitor. This one showed a panoramic view of the harbor downtown.

"And to reach that heart," Lizzy says. "There would have to be at least one door to its one heart."

"Someplace special," Dorian says. "Like from what we saw on Sherwood, it seems that the heart has to be located somewhere special on that world."

"Who is that?" Lizzy stomps on the remote to find an orange haired man walking about in the empty city. He says something and waves over a red mechanized golem. "Zoom in," he commands his computer. "Enhance quality," he commands it once more to fix the quality of the zoomed in blur. The picture came out clean and crisp with the man's face and clothes is deemed readable.

"What's that he's carrying?" Dorian asks as he pointed in the man's right hand.

"It looks like," Lizzy scrolls down to see the item in question. "A small black egg covered with a tar-like substance," Lizzy detailed. "Wait… Remember that first Super Shadow you and Ashleigh encountered?"

"Yeah?" Dorian remembered then. "You mean that egg is a Heartless?"

"I'm not sure," Lizzy answers. "But that man…"

"You keep saying he looks familiar," Dorian says.

"I read the Rising Charm City papers weeks before our world was blown up:

It was a warm morning, and I was sitting on the dining room table…

"Why do you have to narrate like that?" Nadine asks out of nowhere.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Lizzy shrieks.

"I was fixing up some potion recipes," Nadine says. "I've made a High Potion, which would hold anyone in content during a fight. But keep going…"

"I opened the paper to page four, the other top news. Local scientists at the Institute of Technology, Michael Boomsfield, 29, and William Boomsfield, 27, caught in a fistfight on April 28. The reason was that William was threatening to shoot five scientists that worked with him since his employment on January 4, 2003. These scientists were of Ghanaian decent. David Aguda was one of the threatened scientists and the key witness of the brawl between Michael and William and immediately dialed 911. "I reported a similar problem to security here about Billy's behavior towards me twice," he said. "The president gave him the pink slip first. Billy continued to harass me, and then the supervisor also had glimpse of what was going on, and then the president had him suspended the second time without pay for six months. This was the third and final time." When the police arrived, William was arrested for hate crimes, death threats, and public misdemeanor. His older brother, Michael, asserted that both of them are descendents of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the famed _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. He also said it wasn't just the black scientists William kept threatening. "To be frank, I didn't know when and where my brother built this sudden hatred against some of our staff members. Not just them, but some of our lab technicians: Adriano (Honduran), Jyun-seung (Korean), Ibrahim (Palestinian)," explained Michael. "Don't think I'm lying. I have absolutely NO qualms about working with another person of color. I'm greatly ashamed of what my brother has done and I really feel I need to take responsibility."

"To go as far as to apologize for someone else," says Nadine. "How did William become like that?"

"Science is supposed to be about men and women coming together to contribute to society," Lizzy comments

Five months after he was sent to prison, he started a one-man riot with the inmates, and then he was sent to Austen Riggs Center. May 30, 2007 William Boomsfield had escaped and seeking to kill anybody who defies "white dominance."


	18. ZOOM!

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 17: Zoom!

"How can we be sure it's a Heartless in that egg?" Dorian asks Lizzy. He twists the locks and opens the door.

"I'm not sure," Lizzy answers. "I may have to get up close to examine it."

Dorian swings the door open and asks, "Where in the harbor is William?"

"Right between Iron Bird Yards and L&S Bank Stadium," Lizzy says. "Right where you turn right to South I-95."

"Let's go, then," Dorian rushes to his off-gold sedan.

"WAIT!" Lizzy stops him.

"NOW WHAT?" Dorian asks loudly.

"Just you and me?" Lizzy quizzes. "Alone? While it's cold and raining?"

"Yes?" Dorian answers. "WHY?"

"Well," Lizzy says. "Well alright then! I just need to suit up–"

"HURRY UP," Dorian says. Lizzy zips in his lab and out! He comes back out with an exoskeleton suit on, the same one he had on the Badlands before becoming useless.

"What do you think?" he asks after he zipped back out.

"It's the same as before," Dorian says.

"Ah," he waves his claw. "The suit may look the same as before, but now it is enhanced with my latest updates from my blueprint! I present you, the **Tiny Titan 2.0!**" he announces. "Now this suit won't break down as easily as the Tiny Titan Prototype!"

"Yeah that's great, Ironman," Dorian rolls his eyes. "Can we go now?"

"Where you guys headed?" Nadine asks when she came downstairs before Dorian and Lizzy could jet to the car. The two freeze, saying absolutely nothing. "Can I come with you?" she asks. Reluctantly, they invited her.

"Where you guys headed?" asks Blue as he walked upstairs after they ran to Dorian's car while it was still pouring. Hurriedly, he unlocked all doors and let all of them in. Turned the key, turned the wheels, turned to the left lane, and speed off!

"You don't have to obey the speed limits," Nadine says. "I'll bet there isn't any police around to get you."

"You know," Dorian says. "I've never thought of it." He floors the pedal to the to the max to speeds up to 110 mph, cutting the trip from his house to the harbor in ten minutes.

While on I-95, Nadine and Lizzy see the baseball and football stadiums on the horizon. The only problem was, William was seen on Baltimore Street. That street is hard to access to from the highway.

"Stay left," Lizzy instructs.

"NO! Go Right!" Nadine tells Dorian. Lizzy and Nadine argue back and forth. Dorian settled them down by slowing down and taking the left, which had lowered them down to Baltimore Street in a hurry.

"Anyone who goes to L&S Bank Stadium should know their way to Baltimore Street," Dorian says smoothly. They see William on the road with his mechanical companion. Dorian speeds up and plans on running them over.

"WAIT!" Lizzy and Nadine panic as Dorian swerves to the left and his vehicle spun around until making a complete stop! He pulls over to the side, left the car and the engine running. Dorian steps of the car with confidence and before he could say anything, he breathed and then Nadine and Lizzy conked Dorian upside the head!

"You have some nerve driving around like an asshole!" Nadine says.

"This isn't the Grand Prix!" Lizzy comments.

"WELL, Your welcome!" Dorian answers back. "You wanted to stop the Heartless, right? You want to stop William from blowing up this town, right?"

"You need driving lessons!" Nadine says with her arms crossed.

"Boring driving lessons!" Lizzy says. "Not the ones off of television!"

"That's not the point!" Dorian raises his balled fists in the air.

"EXCUSE ME!" William shouts. His accent had a tad South in it. Dorian, Nadine, and Lizzy turn their heads to him. "I thought this world would've been quiet, now that all them colored folk are almost wiped out. Ah! I digress. My name is William Percy Boomsfield, Doctor of Nanotechnology."

All three of them have thought about what he was going on about. Dorian uncrossed his arms and says, "This ain't the 1950s, bud. Why've you come here?"

"To put it plainly," William says. "To re-write history."

"Re-write history?" Lizzy asks. "That's impossible."

"Oh it is quite possible, my little scaly friend," William says. "See, this world is on the first level of destruction. The second being is this here Heartless boss," he held out on his palm. "This monster will summon more Heartless and find the heart of this world. Think of it as a coonhound howling for back-up."

"There won't be a world after it's destruction," Dorian answers. "It'll become its core with darkness surrounding it."

"That's where you're wrong," says William. "After the destruction of this world, with Tartarus's help I can remold this world from black and ugly to white and pristine!"

Dorian, Nadine, and Lizzy looked at William as if he was the most naïve man in the universe. Chances he might be.

"Your 'dream' will never happen!" Lizzy flies up and flexes his left wrist and a gun barrel transformed from his hand. "Aries Breaker!" He fires at William holding his Heartless out on his open palm. William cracks a grin and his red metallic companion stepped in front of him with haste. Lizzy continues to fire at William until his scanner found the Heartless egg still intact. Lizzy stops firing to let the clouds lift. William's robot was riddled with bullet holes but still stood staunch in front of his creator.

"Thank you, Magnet Man," William compliments his machine. Lizzy gazes at the machine for a second.

"Wished I brought along Blue," Dorian remarks. "Anyway what gives? That thing should've been ready for the scrap yard!"

William shakes his head and laughs. "There's so much than just nuts and bolts to put together my machine. Watch closely," he pointed out that his machine had slowly 'healed' its bullet holes.

"WHAT?" Lizzy shrieks. "It could only mean… nanotechnology!"

William grins wider to Lizzy's answer and laughed. "Nanomachines, son! That's all that matters. I spent plenty of years at the institute developing these helpful doodads along with my brother. They can repair, they can reconstruct, they can even resuscitate! Too bad he doesn't see the REAL potential of nanotechnology in… more capable hands."

"No wonder you lashed out against the other scientists," Lizzy ponders. "You we're probably paranoid that they would 'steal' your creations!"

"So you've been reading up about me, gecko?" William comments. "I'm flattered to have a creature of your stature and intelligence to at least have the gall to research me. But I do have plans I need to carry out soon, so…"

"And just leave?" Nadine grows vines from her fingertips and stops William.

He shook his head and commanded his machine. "Magnet Man," he says. "Play with our new friends!"

The machine's eye slots glowed as charged towards Nadine! She fears for the worst, but Dorian steps in with his Keyblade out! Nadine snaps off the vines and ran towards William. She and Lizzy teamed up behind him. William stuffed the egg in his pocket and took off flying!

"How's he doing that?" Nadine jumps back from the intense burn from William's boots.

"Jet boots?" Lizzy asks. "I modeled his idea into my own." Dorian held onto the machine man until it turned to William's flight. It pushed him aside and flied in William's direction.

"Let's get them by car!" Dorian got up and ran to his car. Nadine and Lizzy hopped in and chased William and his machine into the depths of the city.

The streets were eerily empty but the buildings were as bright. William took out his Heartless egg as it's insides bumped from side to side ferociously. "IT'S TIME!" he says. "Charm City will enter a new glorious era!"

Dorian and the gang finally caught up to William and Magnet Man. William smiles wildly as he held the egg as tightly as he could. He threw it down and dark smog billow from the shattered shell, enveloping him and his machine.

There was revving of a truck. It was garbled and extremely loud. The sound of a high-powered V-10 rattled its own engine. The revving was loud enough to send shockwaves, strong enough to make Nadine pass out! Lizzy tries to snap her back awake. Dorian floors the pedal to make a u-turn to steer away from they would see, one hell of a monster-truck: Headlights for eyes, eyeteeth for a mean grill, and wheels heavy enough to rip anything in its path! Heavy truck engine growls and roars, it shook off the eggshell pieces, and turned its eyes towards them! With William and his Machine at the driver's seat!

Nadine wakes from hearing more of the Monster Truck Heartless roars. She rolls down the window to find a giant Heartless rolling fast behind them. "EEEP, _**Rose Harness**_," she wrapped thorny rose vines around its tires. They speed off while Heartless grinds the vines and then jettisons forward!

"Such speed!" Lizzy comments. "Even in the rain! Just to let know, I've also installed an auto-pilot in the car!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Dorian asks loudly.

"JUST PRESS THE BUTTON AND GET OUT THERE TO FIGHT," Lizzy screams back.

"WHAT BUTTON?" Dorian yells back.

"THE YELLOW ONE ABOVE THE IGNITION!" Lizzy shouts back. Dorian pressed it and then the autopilot and cruise control turned on!

"NOW THEN!" Dorian climbs out of the window onto the roof of the car.

"_**TERRA BULLET!**_" He fires several arrow-bullets to the Monster Truck but nothing's working. The monster truck came closer within striking distance. Dorian whacks it a few times and it backs off.

Nadine rolls down her window and had a glow in her hand, "_**Pollen Dust**_!" The dust wisped into the Monster Truck's headlight eyes, but did no effect.

"I can't blind this thing!" she yells. "The rain made my pollen wet!"

"Maybe this will," Lizzy jets out of her open window. "_**PHAETON FLASHER!**_" a very blinding light shot out of his claws. Moments after the flash, the gigantic Heartless stopped few meters back still trying to recover!

"Want to know what else I can do?" Lizzy inquires.

"What's he doing?" Nadine asks. Dorian climbs back inside to drive his car. Then he looked at his rear view mirror.

"Did he just transform into a-a sword?" Dorian then stops the car and parked it at a safe distance.

"_**HEPHAESTUS BLADE!**_" Lizzy's right hand shot out a red laser blade and then shapes himself into a long claymore. With his jet like flight, he circles around the Heartless at an incredible speed!

Once Lizzy circles around it for the fifth time, he transformed back into his regular self, and staggers.

"That parlor trick of yours didn't do a damn thing!" William yells. Surprisingly, the tires of the monster truck Heartless were shredded!

Recovering from dizziness, Lizzy says, "Now it won't move as much!"

"_**Weeping Willow,**_" Nadine coats her arms with thick ivy. The ivy continued to grow until her arms are completely entangled! "Brush!" She lashes at the Monster Truck, however the thing had more energy left and dodges out of the way.

Lizzy catches the Heartless midway and flew towards the grill-teeth! "_**Calchion Dragon Knuckle!**_" Lizzy's fists shines a gold light and blasted away a few sharp teeth of the Heartless! Dorian sees the vast improvement of Lizzy's suit.

"Is there a weak spot somewhere?" Dorian asks him.

"LIBRA!" Lizzy shouts as his computer scanned for any weak spot. "Not yet! This Heartless is heavily armored!"

"Then I'll MAKE ONE! _**RHYTHM KENPO**_," Dorian leaps towards its headlight eyes! "_**RHINO CRUSH!**_"

The Monster Truck Heartless was practically helpless until it spews a black fume from its grill! Dorian hacks and tries to find way out of the fumes. Then the same revving they heard fades out. The rain cleared the fumes away, to find the monster missing.

"How could something big go missing?" Nadine asks. Lizzy hears metal rims clang on the pavement. It slowly crept up behind him and his blood curdles as its engine roars!

Dorian uses his jet shoes to fly in and save Lizzy! Dorian punches threw the grill of the Monster Truck and gathered his energy before the Heartless tries to snack on Lizzy again!

"_**GARNET FLASH!**_" Dorian launches a powerful orange energy wave, blasting the monster more than a hundred yards!

"I would've been a snack!" Lizzy shrieks. The Heartless did three somersaults and landed on its back, leaving its underside very vulnerable! William and his robot companion crawled out from the cab hatch scathed. "THERE!" Lizzy's computer detects a weak point. "The underside!"

"_**Rose Harness!**_" Nadine quickly tied down the Heartless with many thorny rose vines!

"_**Hephaestus Blade!**_" Lizzy reforms into the red claymore and sliced through the underside of it!

"KILL IT!" Lizzy says to Dorian as he jumped high enough to make the sure shot kill! "_**TERRA BLITZ!**_"

Dorian falls back down, forcing the Keyblade inside the slice wound! Lightning flares outward as time began to slow down around them. The Heartless tries to roll back on its wheels but it succumbed to its defeat. After disappearing into the rain, it left behind a small glow. No one else wanted to pick it up but Dorian and then it absorbed into his skin like water!

"What was that?" Nadine asks.

"I don't know," as he swung his Keyblade on his shoulder. As he swung it, a bright light copy of the Keyblade phases from it into the direction he was swinging it! Lizzy and Nadine clear the way, but William and his machine didn't! A small explosion injured both of them.

"AYY-EE-AAH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT," William squeals. "I was SO close to having my dream come true!"

"It won't happen," says Dorian, "Now get the hell out of here!" He intimidates William and his robot and opens up a Dark Corridor.

"The rain," Lizzy comments the weather calms down to a light drizzle. "I guess that solves the weather problem." Before they climbed into Dorian's car, there was an odd glow coming from the District Office. A Keyhole silhouetted in front of the building. He steps out and withdraws his Keyblade. A beam of light shines forth and seals the entry from the Heartless. They smile and drive back to his house.

Dorian pulls into the driveway. They leave the car and Nadine knocks on the door. Matt answers and opens. He lets them in. "Where were you guys?" Matt mumbles.

"Dealing with a Heartless Boss and retarded minions of Tartarus," Nadine answers. "Why? What happened?"

There was Blue, Romeo, Jade at the house along with Matt. "Where the ladies," Dorian asks.

"They went out dealing with a bad guy," Blue responds.

"Yeah," Dorian questions. "Who is this bad guy?"

"It was, um, what's his name? This dude from," Matt says. "What'd he look like? He's short. He has gray and orange dreads, and he smelled like he hasn't bathed in a while," Matt details.

"Demarcus?" Dorian asks.


	19. Mind Dimension

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 18: Mind Dimension

"Who's Demarcus?" Matt asked. "No dude, its Meff. You know, the Bloody Black Rain?"

"Demarcus is Doctor Meff," Dorian says. "What happened to Sid, Tanya, and Ashleigh?"

"I don't know easier of explaning," Blue rubs his head. "We were knocked out as soon after that guy came in."

"You didn't leave the door unlocked did you?" Lizzy asks.

"No," Blue says. "The front and back door were locked."

"What about the windows?" Nadine asks.

"Take a look," Jade points at the open windows. The glass was lifted but the screen was locked. "This screen isn't like you take a knife and rip through. Doctor Meff didn't break in through the windows," Jade answers. "But what happened was we opened them to let a nice breeze in. Romeo sat right next to the windows, and then all of the sudden he started huffing."

"All dogs do that," Dorian says.

"What dog starts sneezing and coughing?" Jade finishes. "And then passes out?"

Dorian, Nadine, and Lizzy's faces showed fear. "Where's Romeo now," Nadine asks.

"He's downstairs," Matt says. "We had to move him from those windows. He's fine now."

"This man just became a gas and then blew right in here," Blue finished. Their testimonies seemed vague.

"We could check my camera," Lizzy points at a little black box. However, that camera in the dining room was damaged. "Damage to the lens is extensive," Lizzy says as he flies up towards the camera. "But at least the film is clean and intact. I'll have to hook it up to a relay circuit to the big T.V. downstairs."

Quickly, Matt, Blue, Nadine, Jade, and Dorian rushed down there to see the fight on the big screen!

"Where's the remote?" Matt yells. Romeo lied down on the carpet, keeping his cool.

"Never mind!" Jade says. "We'll manually turn it on."

"No!" Lizzy wails, "There's a certain code you have to press on the remote to tune it to my channel!"

Nadine found the remote under couch and turned it on, "What's the code?"

"7-0-4-5-6-9," Lizzy says.

She input the code and then there was booming sound coming out of the T.V. It was a recording of Tanya and Ashleigh seeing Romeo passing out, Matt and Sidney carryied him downstairs. The footage showed Doctor Meff indeed entering the house as a black vapor. Jade clawed at him first but his attacks were useless. Doctor Meff choked Jade and tossed him into the family room. Blue valiantly fought him, but did no damage. Blue breathed heavily and then melted into a puddle. Matt came upstairs, using his Electro Nail attack. His attack caused a wild chemistry with Doctor Meff's gas. He exploded, blasting Matt back downstairs! Sidney called for Matt, and then she rushed up the stairs. Tanya pulled out her hand revolver and Ashleigh gathered winds in her hands. All of the sudden, Doctor Meff flushed out a black smog from his hands. The smog was dense enough to capture Sidney. Tanya fired at Doctor Meff but the bullets went through, and then used the same method to capture Tanya. Ashleigh was able to use her air control to thin out Doctor Meff's smog. Sidney and Tanya were cleared but Doctor Meff reformed, capturing the three. He turned his head and spotted the camera. He wisped close enough to see the detail of his face. He opened his mouth and exhaled forcefully onto the camera, thus causing the damage.

"God damn!" Dorian mumbles. He raced up the stairs and out the door.

"Where're you going?" Blue shouted. "You don't know which direction they went in." Dorian looked down on the pavement to find a tiny ember dimly lit.

"Sidney must have left it there," Dorian comments. "I'm getting them back!"

"ALONE?" Blue shouts at him as he ran down the street. Dorian followed the ember until it died out. And then another ember lit as it contacted with the dying one.

Dorian followed the embers to where a struggle took. He stops at a four-way intersection, with a streetlight flashing red and yellow and the atmosphere was still wet as the sky dropped its bright purple hue to navy blue. A mist gradually covered the ground as Dorian approached the intersection. He finds Tanya, Sidney, and Ashleigh barely holding their own against Demarcus. Demarcus looks as if he hadn't wasted any energy. He turns his head to find Dorian walk out the dark and into the street lamp's light.

Ashleigh turns her head also to find him standing there. "Dorian!" Ashleigh cries for him. "Where'd you go?"

"I can't trust that shit head for nothing," Demarcus mumbles to himself. He then says to Dorian, "Glad you could make it to the party! Had to invite myself in."

"So I noticed," Dorian brings his Keyblade out.

"They couldn't touch me," Demarcus haughtily says. "I got bored with them, and the one with the fire got a little wild with me. Then, I decided to take these girls with me."

Dorian uses his Speed Gear technique to vanish. Demarcus detects Dorian's movement, until he swings his Keyblade like a baseball bat behind Demarcus' head! The impact sends Demarcus flying into the direction opposite of Dorian. He tumbles and got back on his feet!

"Get back HOME!" Dorian yells at the three young women. "Run!"

"You never learn, do you?" Tanya shakes Dorian by his shoulders. "Acting like a badass isn't going to scare him off! He's too dangerous to fight on your own!"

"YOU think I don't KNOW THAT!" Dorian says. "I'm giving you a fighting chance!"

"BITCH, did I say I was done with you?" Demarcus expands his hand into a cloud and rushes behind her. Before he could touch Tanya, Dorian somehow held the smoky hand in place as Tanya reluctantly ran back to the house.

"I wasn't even done with them, yet," Demarcus says. "You know what I could've done with them?"

"It's me you wanted!" Dorian barks as he let go of the smoke. "NOT THEM!" Dorian yells as he held his Elemental jewel up. "I pissed y'all off when I shot PG Fats."

"That is true," Demarcus says as he reformed. "We thought you were one of us, till you pulled that off."

"Like I wanted to push Dust around for the rest of my life," Dorian says. "I wanted to go to college with that Munny!"

"You still talking about that bullshit?" Demarcus points at Dorian. "Schools ain't gonna teach you shit?"

"About what?" Dorian asks. "How to live a thug life? I lived a part of that life. I'm not stupid."

"I think you are," Demarcus starts off. "You still don't know how worlds function. People NEED to be fulfilled one way or the other. How do they have their needs fulfilled? I know you already know that the Bloody Black Rain isn't independent. The Thunder Gang runs us, and numerous chapters are found along east coast. If people wanted to fuck, we can send hookers to them for a fair price. If they wanted to get high, we can send Diesel Dust to them for cold hard cash. If there's business that needed to be done, through our selected agents, the people can give us a call. That's how our world spins, with us to give a hand to keep spinning it!" 

"Sure," Dorian says. "Or maybe these people are too dependent on the Bloody Black Rain. I can name 50 things that are MUCH safer than Diesel Dust! Maybe those 'hookers' maybe never wanted to be a part of trafficking. Some of them were forced in and some of them had no other alternative to make money. Like me in a sense, but I was a fighter. The people who wanted to have a super high, the people who wanted to have sex, the people who wanted 'business' done, and the people who wanted to make money like me were all nothing but commodities. Pawns for your higher plans! You used me just so the media wouldn't bother investigating the Bloody Black Rain!"

"Eventually, that's what they figured out," Demarcus explains as he removed his shirt. "After the spokespeople of the Exiled Warriors found out a year ago, we figured they knew too much. They were going to give you the Munny and tell you to stop fighting for us. That never happened. Anybody who crosses us, we make them our bitches! Look," Demarcus' arms and legs turned to visible vapors and then moved inward, making only his head apparent. "Unless they bring the goods to us."

"So you're saying that Tartarus gave you vapor powers," Dorian answers. "But seeing him as a powerful alien, doesn't that make you the bitch?"

"What'd you say?" Demarcus warns as he returns back to his normal self and then the Heartless Insignia watermarked his pectoral.

"I asked you if that makes you the bitch?" Dorian asks.

"Shut you mouth!" Demarcus says as he disappears into smoke, "_**Vapor Gear!**_"

"_**Choke Mist!**_" Demarcus slips behind Dorian and pours from his extended hands heavy smog, making it hard for Dorian to breathe!

"Ugh!" Dorian gasps and then ducks, "_**Speed Gear!**_"

Dorian escapes the grip and stood opposite of Doctor Meff. Dorian catches his breath. He charges back at Demarcus for a brief fistfight! Dorian thinks that he had him but Demarcus is unaffected as Dorian punches away! Demarcus vaporizes behind Dorian again.

"_**Sulfur Hex Pass!**_" Demarcus blasts a thick cloud burst from his hand at Dorian to a pole that stops his momentum!

Dorian gasps and coughs. "How am I supposed beat smoke?" Dorian murmurs. "Can dirt absorb gases?"

"Earthly Aura," Dorian stamps the pavement. All of the rubble levitates and attaches to Dorian. Demarcus looks on with curiosity.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asks.

"Let's find out," Dorian cracks his dust-laden knuckles.

"_**Sulfur Hex Pass!**_" Demarcus blasts a smoke cloud again.

"_**Tekken Blocker!**_" the blast is absorbed into Dorian's rubble armor.

"What the–" Demarcus gasps.

Dorian rushes forth, "That won't work! NOW, Rhythm Kenpo! Boadunga!"

Dorian focuses his strength to hit the opponent in focused areas rather all over the place! And with Dorian's hypothesis proven right, Demarcus suffers a bloody nose and spits out wisdom teeth!

"How'd you like that, you pervert?" Dorian is enlightened seeing that this fight is in his hands.

"Sly motherfucker!" Demarcus says, still standing. "You hit a lot harder nowadays, harder than a couple years ago."

Dorian remembered back his to sophomore year. It was only days before his first round in Exiled Warriors Tournaments. Brandon and Dorian scrapped with each other, cursing at each other, until Dorian pinned Brandon to the wall. Demarcus chanted Dorian to kill him, but then he just threw him aside. "Why bother?" Dorian asks then.

"Come on, D!" Demarcus says. "No mercy should be shown. Crush somebody's head!"

"I want money," Dorian said. "I don't want blood."

"See?" Brandon spat blood. "This one of the reasons why you need to change that attitude if you want to still run with us…"

"Shut up!" Dorian kicked Brandon's face. "You piss me off!"

"You were such an angry kid then," Demarcus remembers. "_**Vapor Gear**_," he disappears again! "Still an angry kid now!"

Demarcus levitates before Dorian and says once, "_**Usugu!**_"

After being plucked on the forehead, Dorian felt a light buzz in his head.

"How ya' feeling?" Demarcus taunts as Dorian staggers back. The buzzing increased and he couldn't hear anything anymore. He blacks out and regains consciousness inconsistently. He feels alive, but like someone else is inside his body, trapped with stranger looking inside his prison cell!

"Hey!" Dorian yells as loud as he could. "What the hell did Demarcus do to me?"

"Shut up!" he heard his own voice come from outside where he was trapped.

"Wh-Who's out there?" the normal Dorian asks angrily, "What's going on?"

"I said SHUT UP!" the maniac version of Dorian warped towards the normal Dorian.

"You're me?" the normal Dorian asks, as he seemed confused.

"Yeah you fuckwit," the maniac Dorian rudely responds. "I'm you!"

He then floats upside down, "You remember all those nasty things that happened to you back in Stutter's Mill High? What about that asshole that flipped the books out of your hands? The Bloody Black Rain taking your money? Anything else you wanted to use your tongue-lashing or give someone a violent bashing? I'm all of that personified," the maniac Dorian explains his existence. "I would've showed up if you snapped in any of those situations! Is that Demarcus?" he opens the inside of the eyelid. "Time I do some damage!"

"HEY, this is my fight!" the normal Dorian halts the maniac Dorian. "What do you think you're doing?"

"This is my fight, this is my fight," Maniac Dorian mocks the normal. "Neh, neh, neh, you whiney little bitch!"

"Come'ere so I can kick your ass!" Dorian curses as he bends the bars with his strength.

"Wow," the maniac Dorian taunts. "Such strong. You bend bars. You're going to have to do better than that."

"What'd you mean?" the normal Dorian asks. The maniac version wisps away and shouts, "Hey, Juggernaut!"

"What?" Dorian asks when he turns around. He's back behind the same bars. "Oh, Goddamn it!"

"Are you retarded or something?" the maniac Dorian advises. "You're trapped until the fight's done. And guess what I have?"

"My Keyblade!" the normal Dorian saw a shine in the maniac Dorian's hand. "I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds!"

"I'm going to get some fresh air for a little bit," said the maniac Dorian. "So relax. Watch me as I put this Demarcus kid away for good."

"NO! You're acting without any REASON! If you manage to kill Demarcus now, you'll only charge off fighting Tartarus' army and himself! Keyblade," Dorian commands outreaching his hand, "Come Forth to your Real Master!"

"It doesn't have any ears," the maniac Dorian mocks.

"Cecil said that Keyblades do know who to chose their masters," the normal Dorian says.

"Weapons don't have soul," the maniac Dorian says. "We do. I do!"

"Our weapons reflect off of our souls," the normal Dorian said as it slips out of the maniac Dorian's hand.

"Neat trick," the maniac Dorian wasn't impressed.

"_**Keyblade, Come Forth**_," the normal Dorian commands once more as it broke through the mental bars where he was trapped. The mental cage shattered like broken glass. "I'M FREE!"

"Are you?" the maniac Dorian asks curtly.

"_**Speed Gear**_," some of the normal Dorian's power returned! "Now, disappear," yells the normal Dorian. "_**Terra Blitz**_!"

"You can't get rid of me!" the maniac Dorian says.

The Dorian we all loved from Chapter One snaps back to reality, and Demarcus was shocked to find him normal after the trance.

"You're back?" said Demarcus.

"Let's finish this," Dorian says as he rose to his feet. His leg buckles and becomes unbalanced.

"Not today," Demarcus says. "My job is done here." Before Demarcus traversed into Corridor of Darkness he says unto Dorian, "Now take to heed this warning. I am your tour guide to your purgatory. You have one more morning. Up until then, this is the end of your story!"

"God," this shocks Dorian as Demarcus vanishes behind the corridor. "I thought that spell wasn't real. I heard the last person who suffered this was shot by police after assaulting an officer."

Dorians back home, thinking how can he lift the curse. Lizzy is too much logic and no magic. No amount of science would help Dorian at this point. As his personified rage rattles inside, the more he becomes in tune with his anguish. Dorian suffers immediate depression and fells to his knees. Every bit of what happened to him in his freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years makes him ache with wrath and burning sensations all over his body. Dorian winces as he stands back up to trudge back to his house. Its 12:15 am, and Dorian arrives back home

"Dorian," Ashleigh calls his name. Everyone went to sleep except for Tanya and Ashleigh, who were sitting at the dinning table. Ashleigh has three bandages on her cheek while Tanya has an oxygen tank and mask, to relieve a whooping cough inflicted by Demarcus' array of gases.

"Good," he says. He clutches his chest and gasps. He uses his Keyblade as a cane.

"What's wrong with you?" Tanya asks him with indigence. "Facing against some body like Demarcus?"

"Tanya?" Ashleigh stops her. "He risked his life for ours. Why are you putting him down like that?"

"He probably didn't know what he was doing," Tanya says.

"Well," Dorian says with raspy voice. When he spoke, he felt something burning in his throat. "I did."


	20. Mind Dimension Part 2

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 19: Mind Dimension Part 2

Tanya's breaths are longer and felt no need to use the oxygen tank. She removes her mask and asks, "Where were you earlier?"

"Lizzy told me that there was a racist bastard and a big Heartless around here," Dorian looks up. "So me, Nadine, and Lizzy took care of it."

Tanya was about to say something else until Dorian stumbled and then lost his balance and then caught himself at the foot of the table. A little blood dripped from his nose.

"And Demarcus hit up with all them gases he made," Tanya asks.

"It's not gas," Dorian says. "Demarcus did something to me." He took a seat across Ashleigh and Tanya. "Did he ever say Usugu and then plucked your heads?"

"No," says Tanya. "But I might have seen it before. What was it like?"

"It's like tripping on LSD in a Ralph Bakshi movie," Dorian begins. "My brain kept tuning in and out of consciousness. Then I was inside a pitch-black void, trapped inside a cage. Then I saw me."

"You?" asks Tanya.

"Foul mouthed," Dorian describes him. "Rough, angry, evil."

"Sound like you except the evil part," Ashleigh says.

"This spell Demarcus put on me is like a Kamikaze spell," Dorian explains. "Tomorrow morning, the evil version of me would take my body and then lead me to Tartarus."

Ashleigh shook her head as Tanya gasps. "Oh Lord…"

Dorian nods, "And the problem is I don't know how to fight this spell. I never thought I would say this, but I have to prepare to die again."

The other two looked at each other like they thinking Dorian is ready to die now. "You're not going to leave that evil thing in there, are you," Tanya asked.

"I don't know what to do." Dorian says as a single tear fell. "I'm just hurting right now."

Tanya and Ashleigh nod to each other, acknowledging his need for help. Ashleigh gently called Dorian's name and without warning, Tanya splashed something a clear green in Dorian's face from a vial! The smell was rather unpleasant and Dorian collapses forward.

"Who knew that Nadine's stuff would come in handy?" Tanya smiles.

Tanya and Ashleigh handle Dorian's limp body upstairs to his bedroom, and spread him across his bed.

"What kind of spell could just twist his head like that?" Ashleigh asks as she rested his head on the pillow.

"That's why I told him not to do what he just did," Tanya said indignantly. "Usugu works like this: if a man from the Rain puts this on you have to find a woman to remove it. Close the door, please?'

"Sounds simple," Ashleigh says as she shuts the door. "He might make a lot of noise when I do this."

"It's not," Tanya says. "The woman needs to be affiliated with the Bloody Black Rain. I hung out with Demarcus for a while."

"So he taught you what he knew?" Ashleigh asks.

"He didn't," Tanya says. "But, I can still help. After I died, I woke up with some kind of power." Gently, she messages his beefy, muscular chest, and then moved her hands softly to his face.

"What are you doing?" Ashleigh raises an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to find out if his chakra gates are damaged," Tanya explains. "So that my energy could flow into his mind and through his heart."

"This isn't going to kill him, is it?" Ashleigh asks as her mood shifts.

"I don't know," Tanya is concerned as she sat down at the edge of the bed. "I never used this before. If I screw up, then the real Dorian we love might not come back as his "angry self" may act upon his body."

"Just be careful," Ashleigh requests.

"I will," as Tanya closed her eyes and whispers, "_**Eunoia**_!"

Mauve and orange aura mesh and spiral terrifically, and then Tanya trances out!

…

Tanya wonders aimlessly through one nebula after another. It's cloudy and thick, the way that a sleeping mind should be. She looks down to find a small city, maybe the outer side of Charm City.

"Demarcus messed him up," Tanya somersaults in the air. When she lands, the layer masks of the pavement gently whisk away like maple leaves. The insides fade and the outlines turn into different colors and pop away!

"This is like a Ralph Bakshi film," she says. She finds about fifty "people" walking around. These people did have different genders, however they either outlines or rotor-scoped silhouettes. Then she spots an apartment made from stone.

There's a window that's open, so Tanya "flies" up nine stories high. When she flew in, she feels a "tap" on her head, but the glass didn't break when she flew in. There was a kitchen, the other side a T.V. room, and there's that empty hallway where a person has to walkthrough in most scary movies. "Dorian has to be in here," she says as she took her chances and walked down the hallway.

Tanya feels a presence. It's not Dorian's, maybe that "maniac version" he was talking about.

"Dorian doesn't even know the 'maniac' could be here," she says as _Pithecanthropus Erectus_ plays in the background. Each step she took the music gets a little louder and clearer. Finally, "I think I've reached his room."

"Dorian?" Tanya calls for him as she walked in. The room was lavishly painted in tan. There were paintings of her, Sidney, Matt, Romeo, Jade, Nadine, Lizzy, Ashleigh, Blue, and a few other friends. It brought a warm feeling while he was lying on his crème-colored bed, resting comfortably.

"I guess that's how he sleeps every night. In a brand new outfit," she smiles. Tanya nudges him to wake him up.

"C'mon, sleepy baby," she whispers. She couldn't help the fact he looks so innocent when he sleeps. Then the mushy feelings were erased when she felt the "maniac's" presence again!

She shakes him a little harder, "C'mon, wake up, we gotta go!"

Tanya panicked as "he" came closer, "Wake up, damn it!"

She took him by the shirt and shook the shit out of him! "Listen, that creep is coming closer!"

Then she slapped him, "I'M making sure that YOUR body won't be snatched by that "maniac," so wake up already!"

After the fourth slap, he gasped like he was drowning. Tanya expects a mean face after the slapping.

"Just another hour," he angrily woke up. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Why?" she shakes back as Dorian stands up, "I trying to get both us out before your maniac version come get you," Tanya explains.

"He's here?" Dorian suddenly jumps from bed, "The hell does that he want?"

"Your body?" she says flatly.

"So, he's gay?" Dorian asks.

"NO!" Tanya wanted to choke Dorian. "He's out to take your body and make itself your conscious for good. So, would you like to get rid of him?" she asks as she shivers.

"What's wrong?" Dorian asks.

"Something in the air," Tanya says.

"The 'maniac?" Dorian asks as his clothes revert back to the ones he's wearing now. "You know what to do?"

"I'll," Tanya rolls her eyes with hope of finding a cure. "Think of something."

"But I'll be the last one standing!" Maniac Dorian warped in and out in front of them. The nice scenery breaks like how glass breaks as the three of them remain in the same nebula she traveled through! The city came back, just flipped in all directions, with a reverse in hue and saturation. Yet all of them were standing on solid ground.

"I'm curious," says Maniac Dorian. "How're you two going to break this spell?"

"We're working on it," Dorian says. "Right now!" he ran toward the maniac twin with a battle cry!

"You wanna tango?" Maniac Dorian asks deceitfully.

"Dorian, no," Tanya tries stopping him.

The two attack each other, "_**Rhythm Kenpo! Rhino Crush!**_"

"I'm still you, retard," Maniac Dorian laughs. "Whenever you dish out a Rhythm Kenpo technique, I'll just copy you. So that tactic won't work."

"Yeah?," Dorian asks. He speeds behind the twin, "_**Speed Gear**_!"

"_**Cobradunga**_!"

"_**Tekken Blocker**_," Maniac Dorian stops the real Dorian's flurry of fists from going anywhere. "Still don't think I'm you?"

"Okay then," Dorian backpedals where Tanya's standing. "I'm not getting anywhere," he says. "How can I beat myself?"

"Let me do the work," Tanya says to him.

"You're just a witch, BITCH!" Maniac Dorian insults her. "You can't beat soldier of the street!"

As Maniac Dorian rushes in, Tanya forms a heart shape out of her hands, "_**Love Shield!**_" He smacks against the shield, and decides to go around it.

"_**Venus Shield!**_" Tanya prevents the maniac from getting any closer from all sides until he jumps up!

"Go to hell!" Maniac Dorian yells.

"After you!" Dorian yells back as he pulls out his Keyblade, "_**Terra Bullet!**_"

Dorian shoots a few arrow-bullets at the twin.

"_**Speed Gear!**_" Maniac Dorian shows excellent body control and whirls out the way and lands on his feet and then he lost a little balance.

"_**Gaia Strike Raid!**_" Dorian slashes the air as light copies of his Keyblade were tossed at the unbalanced twin like a game of horseshoe!"

"Ai-Yah!" the twin gasps as he fell backward. The smoke clears to reveal Maniac Dorian copying the real Dorian's Keyblade! "_**Gaia Strike Raid! WAR!**_"

"War?" she fears.

"Get back!" Dorian jumps in front as his twin went at a much faster pace slashing the air! With those light copies at a quick pace, Dorian somehow deflected all but one, nicking at his shoulder!

"AAAH!" he covers his wound, "I thought you said you were me!"

"I still am," Maniac Dorian says. "Doesn't mean I can't improvise."

Dorian frustration flares out a vigorous orange aura! It dies down after he heavily pants.

"What was that?" Tanya asks Dorian about what he did.

"This kid is pissing me off," he says.

"What?" the twin asks. "Is that all you have? You bore me!"

"_**Javelin Angel!**_" Tanya throws a spear of her pink energy at him as he also got away with a nick on the shoulder!

"You think you're pretty slick?" Maniac Dorian asks.

"Come on then!" Dorian shouts.

Maniac Dorian runs to Dorian with Keyblades! "_**Terra Blitz!**_"

"_**Speed Gear!**_" Dorian jumps out the way on the twin's right side. "_**Rhythm Kenpo! Cobra**_–"

"_**Rhythm Kenpo!**_" Maniac Dorian grabs Dorian's arms! "_**Inyoka Toss!**_"

Dorian then somersaults into kicking the twin's face! Maniac Dorian lets Dorian go!

"_**Spinning Dragon Kick!**_" Maniac Dorian spins around three times and then releases the kick! Dorian squats low and trips the twin!

"They're really close," she says. She looks down at her belt and realizes she had her revolver with her. "I'm not limited in the dream world," she thought as she tries to take aim at Maniac Dorian.

"Hey!" Dorian calls, "I'm still trying to kick this guy's ass and you're messing around with that gun? _**Tekken Blocker!**_"

"Don't listen to him, he's the fake one," Maniac Dorian borrows Dorian's colors. "He's only trying to fool you so that he could escape to the real world! _**Cobradunga!**_"

Dorian falls at the right time. She hesitates as Dorian stands back up.

"Any ideas, Tanya?" Dorian asks.

"Just a few questions," she begins. "Three questions should be enough to see who is the real Dorian."

"You can't serious?" Dorian asks.

"Question one," Tanya asks. "What was my nickname in high school?"

"Nefertiti," Maniac Dorian answers.

"No," Tanya says. "That's Ashleigh's."

"Andromeda," the real Dorian answers.

"Correct," Tanya says. "Question two: I am a black woman and I'm proud of it. But what's my parental heritage?

"You're ½ Black," Maniac Dorian.

"On my daddy's side?" Tanya adds.

"This one's my favorite," Dorian says. "You're ¼ Cypriot and ¼, um… Seminole," Dorian asks.

"Close," Tanya says, "Seneca."

"That's not fair!" says the other Dorian.

"I'm running this quiz show whether you like it or not," Tanya shoves barrel in his face. "Now the last question. The question the really real Dorian could answer. If it was January 19th, on a Thursday afternoon, and it if is below 10°F and it happens to be snowing, what do we do?"

Dorian just looks left, so he let the disguised Maniac Dorian go first.

"That's an easy one," Maniac Dorian quips. "We, um, err, uh, if it's a Thursday, and if it was snowing… sit in front of a fireplace and make out?"\

"Wrong answer, pervert!" Tanya shoots at the Dorian who didn't answer her question properly!

The real Dorian answers, "Did it snow on your birthday?"

"Why yes, it did," Tanya says. "You we're hoping he would answer that."

"Hey, you said something special for me after an hour of studying," Dorian smiles widely.

"I HAD THAT ONE RIGHT! DAMMIT!" Maniac Dorian held to his chest, however that was his last movement. "It hurts," he winces.

"What'd you do to him?" Dorian asks Tanya.

"Akini̱topoíi̱si̱," Tanya says.

"Bless you," Dorian says.

"It means "Immobilize," she says. "But that isn't enough to stop him from rampaging in your head."

"If that's the case, you might wanna stand back," Dorian warns as he placed his right foot back He brought out two open palms and brought them behind his waist. "_**GAR…**_"

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Maniac Dorian yells frantically!

"_**NET…**_"

"YOU NEEEEED MEEEEE!" Maniac Dorian continues crying!

"_**FLAAAAAASH!**_" the orange beam burst into a beautifully shining column, as it contacts Maniac Dorian! He disintegrates and fades away forever in the dark corners of Dorian's mind

"Whew," she sighs for relief, "It's over!"

"One more thing before you leave," Dorian asks. "Why the hell did you splash Nadine's anesthetic in my face earlier?"

"Bye," Tanya waves at him.

…

Tanya rapidly opens her eyes and snaps out of her Eunoia trance, but Dorian didn't.

"He's not waking up," Ashleigh saw Tanya waking up.

"Let him rest," Tanya explains. "Exorcism is a heavy exercise of the mind and body. He's fatigued after fighting the 'maniac,' he'll probably wake up when ya'll get to another world."

"Why can't you come with us?" Ashleigh asks.

"Don't you have enough people?" Tanya answers. "Some one has to stay here watch the house."

"That's true," Ashleigh says. "Okay…"

Then a knock upon Dorian's room door, it was Sidney.

"Hey," she peeked in and whispered, "Is he okay?"

"He's alright," Tanya says. "You just let him rest."


	21. Catastrophe

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 20: Catastrophe!

The _Elemental Force_ bid farewell to Tanya as they depart for another adventure on another world. Since they have saved their world from destruction first, they must up hold their promise to the Disney Castle Corps to rescue Queen Minnie and King Mickey. However, inside the ship, a few members debate whether or not they should do that.

"Are we really going to save them?" Sidney asks over the intercom.

"We did shake on it," Matt says. "Well, he did."

"That doesn't mean we should do what he says," Jade says.

"Has Dorian ever told us what to do?" Ashleigh asks. "Besides, he's out like a light. He would have an idea where to go next."

"Back to Radiant Garden?" Nadine asks. "Maybe they'll help us find Negaduck or Mortimer with their tracking machine."

"We should go back to Disney Castle," Lizzy suggests. "We've saved Charm City. Why not tell them we saved our world, and then we will uphold our promise we made in Chapter 8."

"Hold on!" Matt interrupts. "We'll vote on where to go, okay?" Matt pulls out a folded notebook paper out and a pencil. "All in favor for Radiant Garden, say 'aye."

"Aye," says Nadine, Ashleigh, and Jade.

"All in favor for Disney Castle?" Matt asks.

"Aye," says Lizzy, Sidney, and Blue.

"What about you?" Blue asks.

"I'm split between the two," Matt says.

"WHAT?" Jade says. "It's one or the other?"

"I feel like we should do both," Matt says.

"That wasting gas!" Sidney says as Romeo stretched and growls.

While the two, argued economics, Ashleigh cuts her radio off as she turns back to see Dorian resting well after his turmoil. She thinks back when the two fought the Super Shadow, risking his to destroy the Heartless. He didn't and was almost eaten by it but more importantly she saved his life. After a few days, he saves her life.

"I don't need to know how he saved me," she says. "Just, why?"

She remembers one year before meeting Dorian for the first time. It was her night of patrol. This was around Dorian's junior year, a few days after he was discharged from St. Sinai. At the same time, this was around a few days after the incident at St. Sinai Hospital.

"How could he?" She asks herself before remembering further. "For a year."

Her manager, Detective Warren Smithfield, received a tip from an anonymous caller, about the Bloody Black Rain planning to break into 1st Old Line Bank. She flew over there to find running here perpetrators with sacks of Munny in their hands. The first guy to leave was unmasked at the time, and recognized him immediately.

"Brandon?" she asked him.

"It's not what it looks like," he curtly replied.

"How could you hide this from me for a year?" she asked as tears rolled down her face. "What is wrong with you?"

Brandon said nothing as his Bloody Black Rain crew ran out from the bank. The bank's alarm system rung loudly as the rest of the masked robbers ran out and looked up to find a young woman clad in superhero clothes.

"ITS ATMOSPHERE!" One of them dropped a bag of Munny and turned tail! She spun her hand, a ring of wind formed, and she flicks it at the robber. As it reached him, his gasps for air and then passed out! The two others dropped their bags and tried to attack Ashleigh. But her uppercuts backed by hurricane-like winds knocked them up the sky and fell back down! Snipes' was the only one still standing.

"Now babe, listen!" he tried to calm her.

"DON'T call me babe anymore!" Ashleigh flew a haymaker at him but he pushed the punch aside and kneed her gut! Sirens rose from the streets! Brandon didn't have time for them and turned the opposite way and ran. While buckled, she gathered the winds in her hand and formed it into a ring once more. She tossed the wind ring to Brandon. As he huffed from running, a pocket of airlessness hit him and he collapsed in front of the patrol car. She looked on in anguish and tears rolled down her face. She flew away, never wanting to see Brandon again.

Ashleigh fast-forwards to when she first met Dorian after the Heartless ransacked her apartment. He appeared to be an average man in her eyes, but his abilities had changed her thinking. "Dorian and Brandon have a lot in common," she said. "Both of them are angry young men. They both are strong and like to fight. And yet, both of them are the very opposite."

When she turns back, she sees a Gummi Ship "fleet!" She let out a gasp.

Ashleigh switches on all intercoms to hear different reactions!

"Dudes!" Matt commands. "Look sharp!"

"Heartless ships gathering in groups? Who could go as far as organizing them?" Lizzy asks.

"Mortimer!" Nadine warned.

"Nope!" yells a booming voice. "You lost the thousand dollar question. He doesn't even deserve to lead a fleet like this!"

"Negaduck!" they recognize him all at once!

"That's right, kiddies," he announces. "I couldn't let you go as far as humiliating me back on Sherwood!"

"You were no match for us then!" Blue yells. "What makes you sure about this time?"

"So says the boy who lost the jewel," Negaduck insults him. "Besides, I have Heartless. Mortimer should've had enough to wipe the floors with you!"

"We have allies, Negaduck!" Jade shouts. "You can't win!"

"Think again, iguana!" Negaduck says. "I'll blow you all into deep space! Fire Away!"

The squad resting on the bottom of his duck-billed shaped Gummi ship fires at the _Elemental Force's_ ship!

"Evasive maneuvers!" Jade yells.

"How?" Blue squeals.

"SPLIT!" Matt barks.

Without realization, all members smash the button reading, "SPLIT!"

Their Gummi Ship split into seven pieces with each corresponding member piloting the Gummi pieces.

"The ship's torn apart!" Blue cries.

"No!" Lizzy relieves. "Its one of the features the Chip and Dale installed. It's in the manual. How nostalgic!"

"Oh?" Negaduck squints his eyes. "Looks like they've got a plan, but we'll see… Dark Squadron 30, _**Offensive Maneuvers**_!"

"EEEEK!" Sidney panics. "They're coming at us all at once!"

"Fire at will!" Nadine shouts.

Jade, Ashleigh, Matt, and Nadine all fire their cannons and then the Heartless ships were obliterated!

"Good going, people!" Lizzy cheers.

"There's still more!" Jade warns, "Keep sharp!"

"You all can't take down my fleet of Heartless!" Negaduck taunts.

"Hey! A little help," Sidney is chased by numerous Heartless that she can't shake off.

"Keep flying," Jade says. "I'm coming!"

Negaduck laughs on, "This is some great entertainment you got there."

Matt hears what he had said and then shoot at him! After a few rounds, Negaduck fell out of his seat and smirks, "You wanna play rough, huh? _**Counter Strike**_!"

"That's what I have in plan," Matt grins. "Everyone, come back here!"

"Why, what's up?" Ashleigh asks.

"It's time we tried something different," he says. "Press down, _**Gestalt**_!"

Simply, the _Elemental Force_ press that button, the ships released a thin wiring to attach to the bigger part of the mother ship (Dorian/Ashleigh's part).

"What's happening?" Blue asks as he looks out his window.

"We're," Sidney stops in her speech, "getting stringed together."

"Even so," Lizzy comments. "If we were to move the ship with stringy arms, we would lose a lot of control."

"Wait!" Matt says, "Its' not done yet!"

Then the string arms and legs crystallized into thicker Gummi cables! The cables were thick enough to support all cabins!

"What kind of trick you trying to pull?" Negaduck asks.

"We're not playing any tricks!" Matt says as his "plan" was put into action.

"Oh, okay, now I know what it is," Lizzy realizes and then he announces, "_**Plated Docking Complete**_!"

"_**The Super Gummi Ship Robot Fighter!**_" Blue announces as Matt says with soul, "_**S.S. ALEXANDRIA**_!"

"_S.S. Alexandria_?" Nadine asks.

Matt asks, "What's wrong with it?"

"It has a nice ring to it," Nadine says with a smile.

"Just like that group of warriors in colors of the rainbow that jump into mechanical animals," Blue imitates a martial arts move.

As Ashleigh was about to answer Blue's reference, Negaduck shouts over the airwaves, "That is the most ridiculous name I've ever heard!"

Matt looks intently out his window and says, "We'll show you! Let's get her moving!"

"But how?" Sidney asked. "Don't we have to act as a team to move the way we wanted this put-together robot to?"

"I think you're right," says Jade. "Allow me." As he controls the left leg, the _S.S. Alexandria_ suddenly jets towards the fleet of Heartless ships like a Muay Thai fighter preparing a knee strike! And like a Muay Thai, Jade crashes out one-third of it!

"Are you trying to kill us all, BAKA?" Sidney screams.

"We need to keep doing that!" Lizzy says. "That was super effective!"

"Warn us next, asshole!" Ashleigh says.

"Teach me how to do that!" Blue says.

"You don't even have a leg part, Blue!" Nadine says to him.

"HOLA? I just took out some part of Negaduck's fleet!" Jade hollered, "You should be thanking me!"

"Geez!" Negaduck says, "Wreck my fleet, would ya?"

"Always rushing in to do something," Matt says to Negaduck.

"What's the hurry?" Negaduck asks.

"Kicking your butt?" Blue joins the conversation.

"Way-way-wait!" Negaduck stops the conversation. "You trying to butter me up or something, huh?"

"In time for this!" Matt yells. He operates the left arm of the Gummi Ship robot and then took a swing at the other side of the fleet!

"Let me get one good shot at you guys!" Negaduck roars with impatience!

Nadine operates the right leg and swings a snap kick at the fleet, leaving at least a hundred or so left!

"Why you little! I ought to…" Negaduck could not bear losing his fleet of Heartless ships!

"Oh!" Blue sighs, "Now I see! This thing works like that!" As he operates the right arm, he takes out another pocketful of the Heartless fleet, leaving a few Heartless ships and NegaDuck's, but his ship is missing!

"Where'd the ducky go?" Blue asks.

"THAT'LL BE THE FIRST AND LAST TIME YOU CALL ME 'DUCKY!" Negaduck cruises behind the _S.S. Alexandria_!

"That tactic won't work like that," Jade says. He kicks again. Only seeing it was a hologram Gummi that was thrown out to distract them!

"Where is he?" Matt yells.

"Right behind ya!" Negaduck's ship barges into _S.S. Alexandria's_ arms!

"What's this?" Lizzy leaps out of Sidney's pocket and Romeo is awakened from the chaos.

"A warp hole?" Lizzy observes. "And it's so close to that world over there! What's wrong now?" he views the screen to see the cables connecting Matt and Blue-Eggy breaking slowly. "They're breaking?"

"We'll hold on," Matt says.

"No you won't!" Negaduck readies himself for another assault.

"Yes, they will!" Blue detaches his ship from the _S.S. Alexandria_ and fires a homing torpedo at Negaduck's ship.

"Nice try, kid!" Negaduck says. "But my Gummi Ship has been outfitted with my abilities! _**Big Dark Counter**_!"

A huge purple aura is released in front of the ship. Acting as a shield, it deflects the torpedo and then it homed in Matt! The torpedo impacts and he loses control of his ship! He is flung into the warp hole Lizzy mentioned!

"MATT!" Nadine tries to disconnect from the _S.S. Alexandria_ to save Matt, but another torpedo collides! Deflecting one and another, Negaduck still heads for Blue. Blue ship bounces him off of Negaduck's ship with extreme pressure and then pinballs against _S.S. Alexandria_. Thus, sending him to the same warp hole Matt was transported to!

"Damn!" Jade curses as he swings one more kick with the _S.S. Alexandria_.

"This should shake things up!" Negaduck flips an unknown switch. The contact between his ship and the kick caused an explosion from the gravity pulled on the gigantic leg! The impact forced the _Elemental Force_ and Negaduck in different directions at high speeds! Negaduck was shot into to a different colored warp hole!

The _Elemental Force_, separates from the robot into cabins, and crash-lands on a world with white beach sands. Nearly beaten, they've lost contact with Blue and Matt and Negaduck in the cosmos! Dorian is still resting from his mental struggle. Without Dorian and the missing two, they seem to be disadvantaged for the moment.


	22. New World

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 21: New World

"WE MADE IT!" Lizzy cries. He crawls out from Sidney's pocket onto the white sands. He stands to see Ashleigh, Romeo, Nadine, and Sidney alive.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Ashleigh covers her mouth with her hand.

"Me and him both," Sidney climbs out as Romeo pukes inside. "I'm not cleaning that up!" Sidney says.

"That was a rough ride!" Nadine climbs out, and then belches. "Just like one of those really, really, really, high roller coasters, and then afterwards, you think that you were going to die, and then you get off and say, 'never again!'"

Strangely, an unfazed Jade carries the unconscious Dorian out of his cockpit!

"What'd you think you're doing with him?" Ashleigh snaps at him.

"Calma, querida," Jade says softly. "Ele só precisa de ar fresco."

"Makes sense," Lizzy says, understanding his brother's Brazilian Portuguese.

"What did he say?" Nadine asks Lizzy. "Do you know where we landed, Jade? Do have the slightest sense of what's going on here?"

"The Amazonia?" he asks her. "Looks like our old home."

"But is it really?" Ashleigh says to Jade.

"Where are we anyway?" Sidney asks.

"My computer can't help me," Lizzy looks at his scanner. "It all shows question marks."

Jade and Romeo lifts their heads and sniffed intently. "You smell the same thing?" Jade asks Romeo. "I smell that there is a village nearby. They might tell us where we are."

"We're not supposed to!" Lizzy quips. "We're not here to meddle with world affairs."

"A little too late on that," Nadine says.

"How so?" Lizzy asks and then he thought back on Sherwood and Radiant Garden. "Nevermind… Ah!" His computer picks up something. "I'm picking up a strong reading. Not too far either."

"Matt?" Sidney asks. She looks down at Romeo sniffing the air the fifth time, and then snarls! He howls bravely and waits for danger to arrive!

"Why's he freaking out?" Nadine asks.

"He senses danger," Jades sniffs the air. "So do I!"

"Stop it!" Ashleigh says. "We have to worry about this 'danger' now."

"So," Lizzy intervenes. "What about hunters with spears?" He points at three men with bronzed skin, clad in tanned leather clothes and eagle feathers. "Does that count as danger?"

"Over there!" Ashleigh points at a bush. She, Jade, Nadine, Sidney, Romeo, and Lizzy jump in and huddled uncomfortably to fit. "Who's missing?" Nadine asks.

All of them peer out from the bushes to find Dorian was left behind in the open. All of them gasped and Ashleigh pounds Jade's head!

"WHAT?" he hisses.

"You took him out but didn't bring him here!" she chastises Jade. They quieted themselves and continue peering through the leaves. They heard the natives' converse amongst themselves in a different language.

"Ack!" Lizzy did not understand their native tongue. "If only Matt were with us. He'd be able to translate."

"His second language sounds different than this," Nadine says. "What makes you sure he could translate this?"

"NO, they're going to cut him open with their spears!" Ashleigh whimpers as she tries to rush over there, but was forced back by Jade and Sidney.

"Now you like him?" Sidney asks dubiously.

"They're not going to," Jade peeks through the leaves. "They're checking his heart…"

The warrior placed his ear against Dorian's chest, and then he uses a hurried hand gesture to tell his fellow hunter "come here." The other hunter placed his ear on Dorian's chest. When the hunter got up, the two had worried looks on their faces. Even though their language isn't understood, the _Elemental Force_ can convey the two hunters' feelings about Dorian's heartbeat. The third hunter gestures a quick upward arm wave, suggesting no concern for the stranger Dorian is. The two hunters convinced the third to take Dorian back where they walked from. Swiftly, they carry him off.

"So Tanya's thing didn't work?" Sidney asks.

"I wish I had answers," Ashleigh says to her. The group steps out from the bushes when the hunters were gone.

"So much for the danger part," Nadine rubs in Jade's face.

"Guys?" Lizzy says. "Those hunters weren't on my radar." Shadows, Soldiers, Mega Chirps, and a brand new Heartless show up. Lizzy stares at the brand new breed of emblem Heartless. "Orange Beat Box. Quick to flee, utilizes earth-based magic. Magic is used to SLOW opponents down and weak against wind."

...

The hunters arrived back at their village bringing a sleeping Dorian from the beach back with them. The hunter who was reluctant of Dorian runs towards a hut. The hunter walked into the hut to find an old man sitting cross-legged. The old man wore animal shawls decorated with four raccoon tails hanging in front. He wore a stringed necklace with a triangular piece hanging off of it. His headdress made from stiffened animal skin, decorated with three long hawk feathers in front of the band. The chief grabbed his staff with more hawk feathers tied to it, and used to prop himself upright.

"_What is the matter, Kocoum_," the chief asks.

"_I and my men were about to hunt for a meal today_," Kocoum answers. "_But, we've encountered a man sleeping on the beach. Askuwheteau heard his heart and said that there was something wrong with him. So we brought him back here_."

"_Strange_," the chief says. "_Let me have a look at this man_." The chief left the comfort of his hut to take a look at Dorian, who was resting on a wooden bench. The chief knelt to better understand what the other hunter Askuwheteau felt. The chief then placed his ear against Dorian's heart. His eyes widened, now understanding the situation. "_Where's Kekata? Get me Kekata!_"

…

"… Ugh… I've never felt this sick," Dorian awoke feeling nauseated. As he opened his eyes, "Where am I?"

A figure stood at the walkway of the hut. The chief pushes aside the brush with his staff. Dorian is in awe to be in the presence of the chief. Ever since the death of Sidney and Dorian's father, the two have speculated what was their dad's side of the family like. The only thing they've guessed right was that their grandmother confirmed that they have Native blood running in them. Not knowing which tribe (or tribes if counting mom's bloodline, too), Dorian could only guessed that he maybe distantly related to the chief or any other person residing in that village.

The chief welcomes Dorian's awe with a slight smile. "I'm glad to see you're alright," the chief says. Dorian snaps from his awe and became confused and asks, "Where am I exactly?"

"You needn't to worry, young man," the chief says to him. "Our hunters found you lying on the beach."

"The beach?" Dorian asks as he rubs the back of his head. He felt a rain of sand grains fall on his fingers. "That explains the sand." Which lead Dorian to ask another question, "Why was I brought here?"

The chief then says, "Our hunters said there was something wrong your heart. Askuwheteau said you were close to dying."

Dorian clutches his chest and thought back when he was cursed by Demarcus. He vaguely remembers of Tanya entering his mind and wiping out his curse. But a dream occurred to him. Maniac Dorian was withering away in front of Dorian, seeing all of his past anger wisped away. But then it reformed back to its original self!

Quickly, Dorian explains to the chief, "Listen. I slipped into a very deep sleep after I had fought with my anger personified. You know, like the evil spirit looking to threaten me to…"

"Ah," the chief stops Dorian. "That's what our medicine man, Kekata took a look inside you. He used a medicine that would help to keep your spirit in balance."

Dorian tastes the medicine Kekata used and left a god-awful aftertaste and the feeling to heave, like waking up with a hangover. Dorian didn't feel his jewel around his neck. He looks around to see if it's in the hut but the chief unlaced it from around his staff.

"Are looking for this?" the chief hung it from his hand.

"Yeah," Dorian said. "That's very important to me."

"I must say it is," the chief hands it to Dorian and then he slips it on. "I know you have a lot of questions about our world," the chief says. "The feeling is mutual. My people and I have questions about you also. Who are you?"

"I'm Dorian," he says to the chief. "I was resting in my home until I landed here…" Then a spark of urgency had arisen. "Landed? HERE, on another world? When did we get here? How did we get here?"

Dorian quickly jumps from the hay sack bed and clasps his hands. "Thanks for taking care of me while I was asleep."

"BE STILL!" the chief halts Dorian from leaving the hut. "You're separated from friends and I know you need to get back to your friends, Dorian. But there is one more thing you need to understand better. While Kekata was healing you, he found another strange thing about you. You hold a weapon that had been bathed in light and dark. Our world hasn't seen a blink of evil, however my ancestors tell me that there would be a day when evil comes to our world to ruin it," the chief says, referring to the Keyblade. "I trust that you won't do wrong with it," he chuckles.

"I won't," Dorian nods and thanks the chief again for taking care of him while he was in a coma.

When he left the hut, a few people gaze in admiration of Dorian's rapid recovery.

"_With what Kekata said it sounded like he was going to die_," says a shorthaired young woman.

"_He seemed to stubborn to die_," says the longhaired woman next to her. "_Look at the way he carries himself_." Dorian heard the two women talking. He turns around, the two glance at him as he smiles back and continues journey.

"Where to go? Where to go?" Dorian asks. He steps onto a field of wheat and corn on each side. "I'll find my way to the beach," Dorian says to himself.

…

As the last Heartless vanished into a mist, the _Elemental Force_ without Matt, Blue, or Dorian sigh for relief.

"This is too much without Matt!" Nadine pants.

"Without Dorian either!" Lizzy says, "Having Blue around would be nice. At least my Tiny Titan v.2 suit is holding up."

"So, where's the rest of your crew?" says an unfamiliar feminine voice.

"Who's there?" Jade presents bravery, "Show yourself!"

Out came forward the young woman Madison! She, along with Evelyn, followed Dorian in Defending Circle Mall. She was also inflicted by the "curse" of St. Karen's School for young women. Madison is covered in smooth red fur from head to toe, her face was more similar to a human's but save eyes, ears, teeth, and nose.

"It's uh, um, uh, duh," Jade pauses. "What's your name?"

"I thought you don't forget an enemy's face, Jade?" Lizzy questions.

"I don't, its just that she's not that important to me," he says as he nervously brushes his spines back.

"You ingrate!" she yells. She side steps to the right from the forest and fades out of their sights. He appears near the water and repeats her speedy motion going left. "I'm Madison 'The Vixen!'

"_**Fox Trot!**_" With those fast steps, Madison zigzags at a blur! She reappears and kicks Jade in his stomach with a force enough to break all ten ribs!

"You wretch!" he wheezes.

She sticks her middle finger at him and zigzags away from him.

"You want speed? _**Forest Savior!**_" Jade unsheathes his claws and dashes forward!

"_**Fuzzy Coat!**_" Madison's tail fur overgrew and uses it to deflect his attack!

"That fur," he says. "It's so strong! _**Rainforest Kenpo! Rain of Bloody Claws!**_" Jade prepares to slash her apart!

"Ain't gonna be any cutting today," a large figure unpredictably steps in to rescue Madison. It was Tank who knocks Jade off balance with a push of his palm!

"What took you so long?" Madison says with a smile.

"Hush! I like to take my time," Tank grin as he turns his attention to Ashleigh and the _Elemental Force_. "Well now," Tank laughs. "Let's see. One, two, three, four… Damn. Where's D'Scourge? He left your sorry asses already?"

Lizzy, Ashleigh, and Nadine turn their heads to Jade, for he was responsible of leaving Dorian outside sleeping on the beach while the hunters from earlier carried him off.

"Why you looking at the lizard man when D' Scourge was too much of a punk-ass bitch and walked away from this business?" Tank taunts.

"His Usugu was broken earlier," Ashleigh says.

"Is that right?" Tank asked. "Well if was broken, where is he?"

They shrugged. Tank then scoffs, "Ya'll do realize that without D'Scourge ya'll sentenced yourselves to death?"

"Something ain't right about you," Ashleigh notices something about Tank and Madison. "Something ain't right about Demarcus or Evelyn, either. Ya'll use to have brown eyes."

"You're right," Nadine also notices. "Are they wearing contacts?"

"They aren't!" Ashleigh says. "I can tell if somebody's wearing contacts."

"Yeah," Sidney adds. "If you're close enough."

"Thirty feet is close enough for me," Ashleigh says. "Both of their eyes are yellow!"

"Not _conjunctival icterus_ perhaps?" Lizzy asks. "Their pupils can't be yellow! If that's the case, something unnatural happened to the Bloody Black Rain! LIBRA! Oh no," Lizzy looks at his monitor.

"What is it?" Sidney asks.

"It's like he's 'flexing," Lizzy says. He's at 900. Now 2700?"

"Yeah, Tartarus gave us few upgrades," Tank says as he swings his right arm in circles. "But I suppose y'all found out when Eye Candy and Meff came to see ya."

"Damn the odds," Jade says. "I don't care what kind of power you have." He runs off at blinding speed!

"Jade!" Nadine shouts, "NO!"

"Everyone always has at least one weakness!" Jade lunges forward and digs his claws onto Tank's shoulders! But his claws didn't sink through the skin, let alone they simply poked Tank!

"You trying to tickle me?" Tank readies a fist and socks Jade in the air! In the air, Jade somersaults with his claws out front. He falls back to earth, using his strong tail to propel him, spinning like a buzz saw! Ready with a smirk, Tank sticks his chest out!

"He's gonna get sliced!" Sidney says as she shields her face.

Jade hits Tank, but his nails grind away at Tank's pectorals! Sparks fly from the reaction, and Jade lands kneeled. He shakes his hands from chafing at Tank! His ounce sharp claws are rounded out like a human's!

"My nails!" Jade sees his claws. Tank kicks Jade in he head! Jade tumbles a few feet in the sand and coughs up blood! Nadine rushes over to help him, but Tank stomps on the sand, creating a wave towards Nadine. When it reached her, she sinks!

"Pha-Ha-Ha!" He laughs. "Who's next?"

"_**Hurricane Beat!**_" Ashleigh aims at the sands and blasts a hurricane-force gust to kick up a sandstorm!

Sidney, Romeo, and Lizzy drag Nadine out of the sand, and then helped her pick Jade up and run into the thick forest behind them with Ashleigh following suite.

"Bitches!" Tank coughs. "You can't hide from me!"

Madison emerges from the dying sandstorm. "Clever bitch," Madison remarks about Ashleigh. "They're not too far. I can smell them out!"


	23. Reunion

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 22: Reunion

Dorian chops away at the low hanging branches with his Keyblade. "Damn it," he mutters. "The deeper I go through, the more forest I'm in!" A long, thin thorn sticking out of the tree branch nicks him!

"Thorns. Mosquitoes," Dorian felt if a bug bit him. He smashes the mosquito while it drunk his blood. "To have a magic space jewel and a magic weapon," Dorian ponders. "That's a lot of power to drive anyone crazy! I feel as if the jewel wanted me to have this kind of power. Now that I have it, how can I go further?"

"It's just like anime," Dorian thinks. "Go on a long trip, every one has their moment of truth, and it changes them in the trip. Now, where is the rest of my team?" Dorian hacks away through a bush.

He hears rustling in the woods. He looks behind, and then right. He hones in on the sounds in front of him. He is wary of who would be there, put he puts his Keyblade away and takes his stance.

"Who's there?" He asks when he then heard footsteps, cracking and breaking twigs. The brush is too thick to see who is there. "Someone there?"

"I hear him!" said someone in the forest. But Dorian heard three different voices at once, and unable to decipher any of them. He steps closer to the edge of the forest to see who else is here.

Ashleigh, Lizzy, Nadine, Sidney, Romeo, and Jade spring from the edge as if they were being chased!

"OH NO!" Dorian screams as all six collide into him in a bunch, and then sprawl on the grass in different places:

Lizzy is launched onto a tree. Romeo slides with Sidney onto a log. Nadine tries to keep Jade still as they smacked against the same tree. Dorian falls back and then Ashleigh falls on top of him.

Dorian moans before Ashleigh pecks him on the lips. He opens his eye quickly. "What's that for?" He asks.

"I kind of missed you," she says.

"We all did," Sidney says. She brushes Romeo's old fur off as he pants.

"I… I think we lost them," Lizzy groans and flies off the branch. "OH, YOU'RE ALIVE! Those hunters didn't hurt you?"

"No," Dorian explains. "Their chief said they helped me. It turned out Tanya's way wasn't enough. So, their doctor fixed me up."

"Y... you still had demons?" Jade asks weakly.

"What happened to him?" Dorian asks.

"We have A LOT of bad news," Nadine says.

"Not as bad as he is now," Dorian says.

"Ve…very bad," Jade mumbles as Nadine rubs his long snout. "Don't talk."

"Muh…mu," Jade utters. "Faith."

"Faith? Nadine asks. "His speech is slurring." She checks her pockets while Jade's head rested in her lap. "I don't have anything for whiplash." Nadine remembers when the _Elemental Jewel_ resurrected Dorian in Chapter 5. She also remembered how his jewel sealed and healed Jade, Romeo, and Ashleigh. "If your jewel can heal," she looks down at her jewel. "Can mine?"

"Why's he going into paralysis?" Dorian asks.

"It's your friends," Sidney says.

"MATT DID THIS?" Dorian yells.

"NO," Sidney says. "Your _other friends_."

"Have you treated paralysis before?" Lizzy asks as he lands next to his brother.

"Never have," Nadine says. "I just know how to treat flesh wounds, bleeding, headaches, seizures, and broken bones. One thing I don't get is that how could Tank uppercut Jade and then punch him in the gut to have him not move?"

"TANK DID THAT?" Dorian screams again. "I knew he was strong, but Jade shouldn't be like this after one punch!"

Nadine rubs a circle on her temple to think clearly. "If I remember correctly," she says. "Symphytum _officinale_ might help him with his paralysis."

Her palms suddenly start to drip with green ooze. Lizzy notices her hands. "Of course!" he says with elation. "Comfrey! But, how did you procure that substance on your hands?"

"Maybe," Nadine says. "Both the Wood jewel has the same healing properties as the Earth." She proceeds to rub Jade's neck and collarbone.

The crystal glows and then dims. The slime Nadine rubbed on Jade seeps under his scales. He took in a deep breath and exhales. "Minty," he remarks.

"How do you feel?" Lizzy asks.

Jade rapidly jumps to his feet, shakes his head like a wild beast man. "Much better!"

"Maybe now someone can tell me what's going on," Dorian says.

"So Tanya's home holding down the house just all by herself," Ashleigh says.

"And Negaduck tried to kill us while coming here," Sidney says and Romeo nods in agreement. "Which we don't know the name of."

"Matt and Blue are lost in space," Nadine says.

"And we also ran into Tank and Madison after crashed here," Jade says.

Dorian asks, "Why didn't anybody wake me up before Jade thought it was a good idea leaving me outside while the Powhatan decide to take me away?"

"Tanya told us not to wake you up after a few hours," Ashleigh says. "She also said to let you sleep on our own."

"And then y'all find out Wayne and Madison are too tough," Dorian says. He shakes his head and sighs. "And that's what Tartarus meant by 'his army."

"Wayne?" Lizzy asks with a raised eyebrow. "No, you call him Tank. When was he a Wayne?"

"That's his real name," Dorian answers. "Or was."

"What do you mean?" Sidney asks.

"Tatarus gave them some kind of power," Dorian asks. "You remember, Ash? Evelyn could release a chemical to paralyze. Demarcus can turn to smoke. And Kili is just like Sidney with her _Fire_ jewel, only more dangerous."

She does remember when all three did show a watermarked emblem: in shape of a heart with crossed thorns on the inside. "Their eyes," she says. "They're yellow."

"Not contacts?" Dorian asks.

"I can see in other people's eye from fifty feet," Ashleigh says lowly. "They're definitely yellow!"

"Also," Jade says. "Me and Romeo smell something foul about them. It's like they all carry the same stench. Just rotting, cloying, dark evil."

"If evil has a scent," Dorian says. "That's the best way to put it."

"But you still haven't figured out how you got the Keyblade," Nadine says.

"I said I had it when I was dreaming," Dorian explains. "Right before Brandon and them broke in our house. I'm still figuring out what else about this key. When I woke up in the chief's wigwam, he told me the doctor knew I held a weapon that was 'bathed in the light and the dark."

"What does that mean?" Ashleigh asks.

"Cecil said that this weapon could choose whom to go to," Dorian says. "I mean, if this thing had an owner. Other than that I don't know."

"That's too much to think about," Sidney sighs.

"I know," Dorian looked down. "And another thing that bugs me is that Mortimer and Negaduck kept talking about some plan to find an '_all powerful weapon_."

"Finding those two wouldn't be so easy," Lizzy says.

Every one heard gunshots fire and ducked! Two Hoodlum Heartless sprang out from the forest with their pistols pointed at the _Elemental Force_. Lizzy flies upward in dizzying pattern he looks down to see Romeo become extremely aggressive towards the Heartless. "Easy," Lizzy says to him. "Romeo? Sidney, he's not listening."

"Hey!" Sidney snaps her fingers at Romeo. "Sick'em!"

Without hesitation, Romeo runs over to the Heartless. "Roll over!"

He dodges the Hoodlums' claws when he rolled. "Jump!" Sidney commands.

Despite his size, Romeo jumps four feet up! "Crunch!" The corgi takes a bite of the Heartless' arm and tosses him around like a rag doll! The other Heartless tries to stop the dog but was beaten mercilessly by the swinging Heartless! Both vanish into a purple mist and to hearts float away.

"Sidney," Lizzy flies to her. "Don't do that with Romeo!"

"Pourquoi?" Sidney asks why in French. She looks ahead to find Tank leaping out with two fists together, about to smash the dog!

"ROMEO!" Sidney panics. Dorian and Jade hurry with blade and claws to halt Tank's attack!

Jade grunts harder than Dorian and both of them roar when they forced Tank away from the corgi! Madison also leaps out the forest.

"So," Wayne grins. "The prodigal son returns."

"Who said y'all was my family?" Dorian resentfully asks.

"Now I see why that spell didn't work," Tank says. "I don't sense it anymore."

"Too bad, huh?" Dorian summons his Keyblade. He looks up to find another feature of a metamorphosing human-Heartless hybrid, pointy ears

"I could only guess what Tartarus has given you," Dorian says. "Other than pointy ears."

"That's just a minor detail," Tank says.

"Yellow eyes and a funky-ass smell ain't minor details," Dorian quips back. "Are y'all even yourselves anymore? You, Eve, Demarcus, and even foxy over there."

"Foxy?" Madison asks him. "That's 'Ms. Vixen' to you!" She zigzags in and out of thin air and then dashes for Dorian! "Lupine Needle!" She throws thin fox fur follicles like a ninja with kunai!

Jade jumps in front of Dorian and digs his claws into the dirt! "_**Rainforest Kenpo! **__**Luminoso Espelho**__**!**_" His claws grew longer than they usually do, and much wider and heavier. The nail is wide enough to shield their bodies and strong enough to bounce Madison's fur needles off!

"It took me five years to master this technique," Jade says. "No matter what you hit me with: your bones will break, your weapons will shatter, and you cannot destroy it!"

"Let's see!" shouts Wayne charging at full force! His right fist glowed ominously black. "Adhabu Konde!"

After three punches Wayne bounces off, but after the fourth his punched became more focused. After the fifth, Jade winces as Wayne's punch cracks the hardened nail. After the sixth, Wayne finally cracks through Jade's nails. Jade shrinks his claws and leapt back to prevent further injury.

"What is he?" Dorian asks Jade.

"I tried to cut him earlier," Jade says. "It's like his skin is made from steel!"

Tank concentrates the black aura in his hand and becomes a grenade! "Berserker Bomb!" He throws at the retreating Romeo!

"_**Speed Gear!**_" Dorian dashes across the grass to Romeo and swing his Keyblade at the bomb. But instead of it being batted away, it explodes in his face!

"Every time he uses it, it's like he vanished," Nadine is in awe. "I thought Romeo was pretty fast!"

"It's not about how fast he is," Sidney comments. "Dorian told me something about creating a faster flow of blood to his legs and manipulating his center of balance. His coaches taught him that since he was little."

"He told me that, too," says Ashleigh. "I thought it was silly of him to say he could move just as fast as a gazelle."

Wayne chuckles Dorian's misfortune. The smoke clears, showing that Dorian does not want to play around anymore. He puts away his Keyblade and shouts!

"_**Rhythm Kenpo!**_" Dorian dashes back to Wayne

He just stood still saying, "_**Atletizm Blok!**_"

"_**Rhino Crush!**_" Dorian rams his knee into Wayne's stomach, but Dorian cringes after feeling his knee "ring!"

"YAGH! My fucking knee!" Dorian falls on his back, holding his knee.

"Come, come now!" Tank gestures, "Is that all you got?"

"Dammit," Dorian looked back the crowd, just seeing Wayne winning already. "I could use some HELP here!"

Lizzy and Sidney wave their hands to the left side saying, "You should've said something earlier."

"You ain't gettin any help!" Wayne ferociously swings at him.

"_**Rose Harness!**_" Nadine digs her hands into the ground and shot rose thorns at Tank's fist, centimeters from Dorian's face!

"_**Forest Savior!**_" Jade darts forward, "Dorian, lend me your back!"

Dorian barely knelt up to have Jade to jump off his back! Now unsheathes his claws with hopes to slash Wayne!

"Back off!" Madison jumps high enough to counter Jade with a kick! Wayne eventually broke off the thorny restraint.

"_**Aries Breaker!**_" Lizzy flies to Wayne, firing his portable machine gun. Wayne swats Lizzy away like a fly!

"Romeo!" Sidney commands the corgi. "_**Sick 'em!**_"

"What the hell are doing?" Dorian deliriously asks.

"_**Run Around!**_" Sidney orders Romeo to herd Wayne in his spot. Romeo's jewel responds to his running and then a whirlwind picks up.

Wayne tries to see through the whirlwind, but he is granted zero visibility!

The whirlwind is about to die down when Romeo runs at full speed and then head-butts Wayne's shoulder. He loses his balance and spins out of the stream, giving Dorian another shot. "Rhino Crush!" With Tank's back facing Dorian, he uses his right knee instead of the left! A hardened blow to the kidney had Wayne gasping! He falls face first.

Meanwhile, the rest are tied up with Madison. "Strong Ivy!" Nadine whips out vines from her fingers!

"_**Fuzzy Coat!**_" Madison blocks Nadine's whip attacks with her overgrown fox fur, looking like she was wearing a mink coat.

"_**Atlanta Storm!**_" Ashleigh opens her palm to blow a strong wind, eventually loosening the bunched furs!

When the winds died down, Madison leans toward Ashleigh with an annoyed look.

"_**Cross Fire!**_" Sidney dances on the field, twirling her flaming staff! Although Madison manages to block Sidney's movements, her armored fur singes and then ignites!

Madison yelps as she tosses her fur coat in the air, eventually fading into ashes! Ashleigh concentrates a small blast of air, and knocks Madison out!

"You think this is over?" Wayne rises up, "It ain't over…"

Lizzy recovers from the pine tree he landed on and read his scanners. "This is bad! He was just 'flexing' his energy earlier!" Lizzy then flies by the others to explain details, but it was too late!

Wayne rips his shirt off to reveal his physique, one that is similar to a professional linebacker. The same balck aura he had in his fist then surrounds his body.

"He was like 6'4!" Nadine shakes. "Now he's just as tall as Tartarus!"

"What's with him?" Ashleigh notices Tank's muscles. "It's like he took a hundred steroid pills!" The beef out and flare with raw energy!

"Yeah, he's like a hybrid!" Dorian said. He sees the same Heartless emblem shining forth from Tank's chest. "Just like what Demarcus, Evelyn, and Kili have!"

"Such power!" Madison coos.

"YEAH baby!" Wayne's voice hoarsened. "Now you see the REAL THREAT! Best to protect ya neck!"

"And we'll be wanting those jewels when we're through," Madison mentions. "Be sure not to break them!"

"7 feet and 3 inches," Lizzy computes. "Weighing over 500 pounds. He is exerting a little over 5,000! Hold on!" Lizzy hears a blip in his system and directed his vision to see Romeo growling at Tank. "Steady, Romeo!"

"Truly a monster," Jade comments on Tank's transformation. He also noticed something odd about Romeo.

"You wanna see a monster, huh?" Wayne's black aura flings out as he flexes his bulging muscles. Sidney faints from the aura flash! Jade catches her on time and dashes away to take her to safety.

"Fear me BITCHES!" Wayne laughs.

Romeo snarls even more in Tank's presence. He continues to growl until he howls chillingly!

"Um, guys!" Lizzy quakes. "Somehow, Romeo's energy just peaked!" There was a light green flash spiraling outside Romeo and gusts of wind blowing everyone's faces!

"What was happening to Romeo?" Nadine asks. "Is the jewel doing THAT to him?"

Romeo's body morphs as his shadow stretches with the body, looking as if he turned into a taller breed of dog! His physique looks robust, losing his paunch! His teeth have grown and so has his tail!

The surge dies down, and the evolved corgi looked more like a wolf breed! "Romeo's energy is reading… 2700!" Lizzy reads. "It's not much, but it's twice than before!"

"Wow!" Nadine said. "But what caused him to do that?"

"But still ain't enough to deal with me!" Wayne runs forth as Romeo vanishes from his sight with blinding speed! Wayne's eyes never met with Romeo for five seconds!

Romeo reappears, snarling and uttering a few words! "_**Wind Slice!**_" Romeo runs a whirlwind around Tank, again. This time, the winds seemed to cut into his skin!

"What is he doing?" Jade asks. He points at Romeo's open mouth.

"Zoom Zephyr!" Romeo draws light-green energy from his mouth. The energy then zigzags into Romeo's whirlwind, shooting razor beams at Tank!

"He can talk, now?" Dorian is perplexed.

"It doesn't matter!" Ashleigh says as Romeo did manage to scratch Wayne.

"He can't hold him off for long," Dorian whistles Romeo back. The "super corgi" obeys and returns to him.

"Augh!" Lizzy stamps the ground. "He's still standing!"

"I'm tired of playing around now," Wayne takes a step forward. "_**Mzukaeusi!**_" he cleared himself of his presence.

"He vanished?" Nadine panics.

"Stay close," Jade cautions.

They heard him chuckle as he reappears from the left! Every one was quick to move, but Ashleigh was the last one to move out the way. He pounded the ground so hard that Ashleigh wouldn't escape the shock! She falls to her side, "My leg!"

Lizzy stood on her and when to his fighting stance to best protect her!

Dorian saw her fall down, "_**SPEED GEAR!**_"

"It's too late, girlie!" Wayne inches closer to her.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Dorian swoops in! "_**RHYTHM KENPO! IMPALA RUSH!**_"

A speedy jab to his cheekbone! Wayne gawks as Dorian scoops Ashleigh and took her to Nadine next to Sidney for treatment. And Lizzy flies out the way, also tending to Ashleigh after impact.

"This bastard's tough!" Jade emerges from the shadows. "Is there any weakness on him, Lizzy?"

"WHAT'RE YA'LL STANDING AROUND FOR, HUH?" he crazes as he opens his mouth and blasted a huge energy bomb! "_**BERSERKER BOMB!**_"

Dorian tries to swing at the bombs again, but explode after impact! Every one was covered in dirt. Romeo runs up to Dorian and looks at him in the eyes, and then Wayne's eyes...

"I have an idea!" Dorian remembers back when Wayne was an All American First Team Defensive lineman before Dorian joined the Bloody Black Rain. Up until they found performance enhancing steroids in his urine sample. Because of Wayne's bulk, he was a slow mover. The steroid that Demarcus made for him was meant to release more adrenaline in his system. Thus, giving him a gratuitous amount of energy, but at the end of the day when the steroid wears off, he's always nodding his head off.

Dorian assumed that he's still using Demarcus' steroids. Because he sees Wayne sweating profusely! "Do you see him sweating bullets?" Dorian asks.

"What? What you talkin' bout?" Wayne huffs, "I ain't never tired!"

"We'll see," Dorian says. "Go for it, Jade!" He leaves Jade for a "field test."

"Wait a minute!" Jade's jaw drops. "I'm not cannon fodder!"

Angered by the gesture, Wayne tries to land a hit on Jade. But Jade was too nimble for Tank to do so.

"I see!" Jade thought, "He's exhausted! Every swing is slow, plus I have time to count it."

"Shit!" Wayne continues to attempt to hit Jade and catch his breath. "Fuck you, D'Scourge!"

He notices that Jade went missing, punching at nothing at all! Wayne was out of focus and tries again to hit Jade, "_**ADHABU KONDE!**_"

"_**Rainforest Kenpo!**_" Jade crouches and wisps away from Tank's attack. "_**Three Thorns!**_" As if he premeditated Wayne's movement, Jade leans on his tail and then pushes Wayne back with long sharp nails!

"_**Atletizim Blok!**_" Wayne yells out, using his shear skin to protect him from the sharpness!

"Romeo!" Dorian calls as he leaps on his shoulders, "_**Speed Gear!**_"

More light-green energy flowed from Romeo's mouth as they came closer to Tank.

"You still out yo' got-damn mind?" Wayne deliriously asks.

Dorian throws the dog at Wayne's face just so he could discharge the energy from his mouth, "_**Barking Easterly!**_"

Romeo lands on a soft patch of dirt. The wind energy collect from earlier was sharp enough to cut Tank's flesh! It pissed Tank even more! The easterly stopped blowing and Dorian moves for the kill. "_**Rhythm Kenpo!**_"

"_**Atletizim Blok!**_" Wayne hardens his body!

"Idiot!" Dorian says, "_**BOADUNGA!**_"

To Dorian, it feels like punching a power bag after an hour-long workout for the arms!

"Come on, man is that all you got!" he taunts! "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!?"

Dorian went into frenzy as he picks up his punching tempo! Wayne's guarding technique began to wear down and Dorian could feel flesh again, snapping many capillaries, thus Wayne bruised quickly! The last punch made Wayne back off as he finally felt the pain from Dorian's hits!

"_**Rhino Crush!**_" Dorian lands three sidekicks onto the same spot he hit before! Wayne buckles, coughing blood, and saying, "NO! NOT NOW!"

"Y'all just won't leave us alone, would you?" Dorian yells a few feet away from Wayne and then charges for the final strike! "YOU BETTER TAKE THIS AS MY FINAL WARNING!"

"W…wait a minute," Wayne holds out his hand waving for a stop from Dorian. "AW HELL NAW!"

"_**Rhythm Kenpo!**_" Dorian leaps into the air, "_**OSHUPA… MALLET!**_"

A falling axe kick lands a devastating blow to the head, as Wayne's head was buried under the dirt of the growing wheat plains! Everyone else looked at Dorian as if he were a monster instead of Wayne!

"You beheaded Tank!" Lizzy quivers.

Madison wakes and recovers as she crawled to Wayne, and pulls him out the dirt. Every one was relieved when they saw his head still intact with his body.

"You'll regret this!" Madison scowls at them as she opened a Dark Corridor. When the two left, every one breathed a sigh of relief, now having to concentrate finding Matt and Blue before anything else bad happens. They head to the beach, where they had crashed. Funny enough, the only a few Gummi blocks had fallen off. The _Elemental Force_ pieced their ship back together.

"What's this?" Sidney finds in her cabin. It was small ball, a very light green on the inside. Sidney thought she saw a parrot inside. She puts her ear next to it, and cannot help but to dance a little samba.

"What are you doing?" Lizzy taps on her.

"I found this," Sidney shows it to him. He examines it and became thrilled. "I don't believe it!"

"What?" Sidney asks.

"The Samba Spirit!" Lizzy dances. "We have to show this to Cecil!"

Without delay, they board the ship and fire the engines, a slow but sure lift from the beaches of the unknown world. Dorian and Sidney waved at two people from the window before jetting into space.


	24. Where's Matt?

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 23: Where's Matt?

The _Elemental Force _fly back to Radiant Garden to find Cecil. Sidney found a small orb in her cabin and Lizzy was excited to see it. Not knowing why, they jump out from their cabins and into the lavish lavender castle to find Cecil.

Upon reaching the front of the castle, they conveniently find him conversing with Rikku.

"Any luck with Cid's device?" Cecil asks Rikku.

"When I checked back," Rikku says. "I thought I saw more pages written in the grimoire. Luso's definitely in there, I just don't know what's he doing in a fictional Ivalice."

"Oh, hey guys!" Rikku looks over to find the _Elemental Force_ walking up the steps. She warmly greets them with hand waves.

"How's everything?" Ashleigh asks.

"Improving every day," Cecil says. "Have you rescued the King and Queen yet?"

"Not yet," says Nadine. "We saved our world, though."

"That's good," Cecil says. "Where're the rest of you?"

"Negaduck attacked us," Sidney says. "We lost Blue and Matt in space and we're trying to get them back. But we came hear for another reason."

"What would that be?"

"This," Sidney pulls the same orb she found in her cabin. Cecil glances at the orb and lets out a hum.

"A summoning gem," Cecil remarks. "And you said you just found this?"

"Uh-huh," she nods.

"Maybe Yuna can figure something out," Rikku says. She looks at the orb. "It looks a little cloudy on the inside. Yeah, Yuna could do something about that."

"Where is she now?"

"Right over were the vale is," Rikku points north. The _Elemental Force_ left with thanks, and sped off for the vale.

Upon arrival, they find Yuna watching Kain and Prishe train. Prishe throws a bunch of punches, but Kain wields his lance to block all of them!

"Yuna," Kain looks up to find the _Elemental Force_ arriving. "We have company." Without looking, he blocks another attack from Prishe.

Yuna turns around to find them arriving one by one. "Hello," she says. "What brings you here?"

"Just this," Sidney holds the orb. "Cecil and Rikku say it's summoning gem."

"And it is," Yuna looks at it. "The poor thing must've lost his home. His spirit is strong enough to survive."

"He's alive?" Dorian asks.

"Very much so," Yuna says. "There is a little darkness making it cloudy. And from what I'm seeing on the inside, he looks like he wants to help."

"How can he help?" Sidney asks.

"By summoning him," Yuna says with elation. "I used to summon scions when I traveled with Rikku. Let me see if I can clear that gem up!" With a spin of her staff, she glows a white aura. She casts Holy on the gem. The cloudiness went away all of them hear a voice chanting "_Mama-se Mama-sa Mama-kusa_" while a samba played! Little bits of confetti flew out as well. The music fades and Sidney's eyes lit up.

"What was that?" Dorian asks when turned around to find Lizzy and Jade grooving to the beat.

"Blame it on the Samba," Yuna says the name of the gem. "These kinds of summon gems take magic to summon a scion. Don't overuse him, okay?"

"Kay," Sidney wraps her hands around the gem. "I will. Thank You, Yuna!"

The _Elemental Force_ bid farewell to the _Radiant Garden Corps_ and head back to their ship, the _S.S. Alexandria_.

They travel in space, onto finding Matt and Blue. Ashleigh asks Dorian, "How did you meet Matt?"

"I remember Matt back in middle school," Dorian answers. "You know he's Ohlone, right?"

"He's what?" She asks.

"He's Native decent," Dorian says. "Anyway, I remember standing up for this kid back in the eighth grade in Bedford Magnus Middle. His dad was in the Army and retired to Charm City. Some pricks thought it was funny to call Matt a 'savage' because he was pretty tall in the seventh grade and had his hair at shoulder length. Plus he told a few teachers in class that he was of Native decent. The other boys learned quickly, and started to pick on him. It didn't matter if he was an ace on the baseball, basketball, and football teams they didn't leave him alone. I was a shrimp compared to Matt and the pricks that were the same height as he was. They just pushed me aside just to talk to him clearer. Good thing Principal Forte was there with me. He told the boys to stop bullying Matt because of his race, other wise he would suspend them! As soon as they left, Principal Forte helped Matt up and said that 'racism would not tolerated in my school. Please, talk to me if you feel threatened.' I asked him why were they calling him names.

"Because I felt it was important to tell people where I came from," Matt said.

"Hmm," Ashleigh listens. "I think all of us in this group can relate to what he went through."

A loud beeping sound ricochet Dorian's cabin. Dorian taps the switch to silence the alarm. He looks on the radar, and it indicated a yellow dot flashing on a world nearby. Dorian plays with the touch-screen to find out more about the yellow dot.

"What does this mean in the manual?" Dorian says as he opened his index finger and thumb to expand the map of the worlds. He finally found the yellow dot, with a meter showing at 16% functionality. He flips the intercom channels on and announces, "We're heading back to Disney Castle!"

Jade angrily yawns, "Why?"

"Look on you screens!" Dorian says to everyone as they see where Matt landed.

"So those warp holes do that?" Sidney questions.

"MATTIE!" Nadine clings on to the screen like a child. "We're coming!"

"Disney… Castle? OH NO!" Lizzy wails. "HOW CARELESS OF ME! My sweet, darling Beige! I almost had forgotten her! Please forgive me, my lover! Going off to different missions, and then I forget my lover so quickly! What am I saying? WE'RE not even married yet. WE'RE engaged! But still, I've forgotten her!" Lizzy tortures himself. "I~~~'M terrible! BA~~D RO~~MA~~NCE!'

"WILL YA' SHUT UP," Jade slaps his younger brother. "I'm trying to sleep!"

Lizzy's neglect to love Beige will have to wait for the moment him and his brother finds an oddity out their front window. There were nothing but little pebbles passing by the _S.S. Alexandria_, until a rock was chucked against Nadine's cabin. "What was that?" she panics.

"A meteor shower?" Sidney asks. "What was that thing JUST NOW?"

The same beeper blared to find a dot flying chasing another dot. "There're flying kind of close," Dorian says as turned on the signal transmission:

"I guarantee you that you won't be having THIS back!"

"I won't let you give it to HIM!"

"HIM? I'm keeping this for myself! So that one day, your kingdom will bow to me as their next King!"

"You will do NO such thing!"

"Until I can uncover _that weapon_ myself, I can!"

"Anyone want to wager who they are?" Dorian asks. "I got 300 Munny saying it's the little guy."

"BLUE!" Lizzy says on the intercom. "Is that you?"

"HAI GUYS!" Blue says over his intercom. "WOAH! BIG ROCK!"

"_THE ELEMENTAL FORCE_?" Ké Kama Kili says with rancor. "Them? NOW?"

"That's right!" Blue says. "And you're going to give back my jewel, right now!"

Kili looked in front of his dashboard and found a bunch of meteorites in front of his ship. "If you want the _Elemental Jewel_ so bad," he says. "You'll have to catch me! KE~~~H-KEH-KEH-KEH-KEH-KEH!" He laughs maniacally as he plunges forward into the meteorites.

"Meteorites aren't supposed to fly at that speed," Lizzy mentions. "The world's gravitation is supposed to pull them when closer to the stratosphere. Why are they FLYING AT US? MO~~~VE IT!"

The _Elemental Force_ dodges a large chunk of space rock! Blue furrows his face and continued to pursuit. Surprising everyone, he skillfully maneuvers through the meteorites to catch up.

"He's good," Sidney says. "Slow down! We can't move as fast!"

"Damn it!" Dorian cusses as he steers the Gummi Ship. "We need to blow these up."

"Yeah," Nadine asks. "You want to blow up Blue again? You want him lost again?"

"But he's so far up," Jade says. "Blasting these things shouldn't be a problem!"

Jade fires his cannons at the shower, at least obliterating the ones that were close to battering the ship from further damage! Every one took Jade's advice and launches missile and laser, fighting through a crowded shower.

"There's something else out there," Ashleigh announces. "Besides that red ball and Blue." Blue then wails. The _S.S. Alexandria_ charges through. They arrived to find an odd Heartless ship. "What the hell is that?"

"Something," Jade answers.

A Heartless ship with a tiny center cabin. Four long arms extended from that cabin. The center body was in plain green color, however the arms were a dazzling array of neon-bright colors (yellow, green, red and blue). Each hand was shaped that of the four suites of playing cards. That sight was more dizzying than Sin City's casino stops.

"And so aptly named the _Joker of Suites_," Lizzy says. "Wait, look at what it's doing with Blue!"

The Joker of Suites tries to squash Blue's ship like a bug, but he escapes. Then it grabbed the nearest meteorite and chucked it to Blue with him missing.

"That's what caused the storm?" Sidney asks.

"GUYS!" A squeaky voice came up, "I CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS THING NOW! I'll find you when I have my jewel back!"

"Blue, NO!" Nadine tries to reach out to him but his radio had cut off as soon as he left the proximity.

"Now he left us to deal with this thing!" Lizzy aims at the strange Heartless ship with his Tiny Titan 2.0 hooked to Alexandria's computer systems, "I'll have the stats in three seconds!"

"When can you plug it in here?" Sidney gasps. "When did you?"

"_**LIBRAGA!**_" Lizzy uses the _S.S. Alexandria_ as an extension of his suit. "Super Strength, no means of offense except throwing large chunks of steel-melded rock, will spin at you if health is at critical. Hold the vial, this thing is no ordinary Heartless!"

"No dip, it's a Heartless SHIP!" Sidney says to Lizzy before the Joker of Suites grabs hold of the ship!

"YES, it's that! But," Lizzy held on. "It's a lot like the Super Shadow Dorian and Ashleigh encountered back in Charm City!"

"Say WHA~~T?" Jade is perplexed.

"Y-you… mean?" Ashleigh stutters.

"It's a Heartless manufactured from Mortimer's experimentation," Lizzy gulps his crop. "He's must be teaching someone to create Heartless!"

"You can't be serious!" Dorian says as he saw the Heartless ship attempting to swat them. He drove his team away to strategize. "Best if we can avoid it hitting us."

"Split it again!" Jade says.

"Let's do it!" Sidney says as Romeo barks when he awoke from his exhaustion.

The team then pressed the button that read SPLIT! The Alexandria had split like the last time, only without merging into a giant robot. "Render the hands useless, first!" Lizzy reads the weak spots from his visor. The Joker of Suites was disoriented with five ships buzzing around it. It waved its spade hand around Sidney's ship. "Your cannons will barely dent that arm," Lizzy says. "Wait till one of us are done."

Jade initiates fire on the club hand. Once it grabs his ship, Jade tries to boost the thrusters but didn't let go. Dorian tries firing at the arm, but the lasers bounced off the neon bright arm. "Buzz saw?" Jade looks at a lever he's never seen before above his right. He then pulls the lever down and felt something under his cabin deploy. "What was that?"

"A circular blade?" Lizzy says when he saw it from Sidney's cabin. "The buzz saw feature? JADE!"

"I got it!" Jade complies when he shifts the boosters with a high gear. The Heartless ship held on until Jade's boost made the arm lose control of the grip. The Joker of Suites swings its arm wildly, and the buzz saw weapon grinds away at the neon club arm. The weapon severed the arm in half and dissolved away!

The Joker of Suites riles up and flings a nearby meteor at Dorian's ship. Dorian activates a shielding device much similar to Negaduck's ship. The meteor shattered on contact with the shield, and then Dorian found a device to reverse the direction, and re-aimed the shrapnel at the Heartless ship. The diamond hand grabs his cabin! He pulls the thruster in reverse to stretch out the arm completely. Jade flies by cutting the diamond arm!

The spade arm was quick to match the speed of Sidney's cabin. She flipped ten gauges and pushes her boost into overdrive! The hand tenaciously follows ALL of her maneuvering and flight patterns. Sidney's cabin was out of boosting at that point and it drifted. The spade arm was quick to catch up, however it did not grab Sidney's cabin because it was tied in a fancy knot! And then Jade attempts to fly by with the cut, but the heart hand catches him! Jade could not get his boosters up again because he burnt so much juice cutting the club and diamond arms off! Dorian can shield and Sidney could just zip around. Nadine and Sidney shot a red and green laser at each other. "NO CATFIGHTING!" Lizzy screams.

"This isn't a catfight!" Sidney says.

"It's a double lariat feature!" Nadine says as they flew to Jade's rescue.

The heart hand began to crush the cabin until the laser lariat is snagged onto the bent joint of the arm. Nadine and Ashleigh's ships flew up, and then circles in opposite patterns until the lariat tightened enough to let Jade go. The lariat tightens further and lacerated the heart arm! With the heart arm dissolved away and the spade arm tied up, the Joker of Suites panics and spun like casino roulette! "I did say it will spin when at critical," Lizzy says. "FIRE! FIRE! DON'T LET IT ESCAPE!"

Dorian and Ashleigh's, Sidney's, Jade's, and Nadine's cabins regroup to reform the _S.S. Alexandria_ and fires every cannon on deck at the Jokers of Suites! With fake tears running down its face, it explodes into oblivion sending a floating heart away into somewhere. The team celebrates and celebrates even more when they arrive at Disney Castle!


	25. Cornerstone of Light

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 24: Cornerstone of Light

There was speculation between the Elemental Force teammates that Matt could be lost around Disney Castle. Dorian showed them the monitors that the missing piece of the _S.S. Alexandria_ was detected here. They've arrived at the Gummi docking bay at the castle. Pluto, and someone who looked a little like Goofy were waiting for them. They had their ways of exiting out of the ship: Jade leaps out, Ashleigh, Romeo, and Lizzy jumps out and then glided down, Nadine uses her vines to scale down, Sidney takek the stairs, and Dorian jumps out like Jade and lands on his feet. But, the force of his landing caught up to his hamstrings!

While Dorian writhes in comical agony, Beige creeps from behind Pluto and beckoned for Lizzy. "Lizzy-chan!" Beige rattles her tail in excitement.

"Bay-zee-zee!" Lizzy quickly leaps off of Romeo's shoulders crawls to her and rubbed their snouts.

"Hey how's it going?" asks Goofy's lookalike. "I'm Max, Goofy's son. I was going to radio you guys about your friend, Matt." This is the same Max Goofy mentioned earlier that placed a tracking device on Negaduck's ship. "Him and Negaduck landed here two hours ago:"

Max was assigned post to the communications room. He was bored out of his mind, and fell asleep with his legs up and crossed on the desk. Four successive blips trilled after one second of rest. He tipped his cap up to see what annoyed him. His eyes widened to find yellow and black dots hurdling out of a warp hole and towards the town portion of the castle. Max got up and scrambled for the emergency broadcast radio to warn the citizens about the imminent danger. He instructed them to evacuate the premises. He switched back to the viewing monitor to see the denizens moving far away enough to escape the crash landing. He took a closer look at the yellow dot. Max was sure it came from the _Elemental Force_'s Gummi Ship since he verified they carry the same wavelength. Max then checked the town from his monitor. Matt's cabin had crashed into the fields, just missing the town by ten yards. The jets were burnt out and Matt's cockpit window popped up, revealing him unconscious and laying back in his seat. Negaduck regained control of his own ship and landed safely next to Matt's cabin.

Max then saw his father and Donald Duck ran out along with the town's police investigator Horace Horsecollar towards the crash landing. Negaduck sprang from his ship and jumped onto Matt's. He drooled of the fact it looked easy to reach for Matt's _Light Jewel_. As soon as he grabbed the jewel, Matt awakened quickly!

"HEY!" Matt shouted as Negaduck successfully nabbed the jewel. Negaduck laughed evilly as he ran off with the jewel. Despite his injuries, Matt was quick to give chase. Negaduck ran past Goofy, Donald, and Horace. They followed after Matt. The yellow-jacketed duck then found a passageway into Disney Town's sewers. Max lost track of all four as they went through the same passageway. He assumed the worst and then prepared himself as he left the communications room.

Negaduck used a grappling hook gun to scale and swing from every hanging pipe he could find. Matt then found a longboard lying there. He smiled and skated his way to catch up to Negaduck. Negaduck then landed on the tallest platform. Matt saw where had landed and saw a ladder leading up to that point.

"MATT!" Goofy hollered at him. "Be careful with Negaduck! He's suckered you into a trap!"

"Let us handle this," Horace also hollered.

"NO one suckers Matthew Kicking Eagle Masters!" Matt said defiantly as he vigorously climbed the ladder.

"Come on!" Donald urged Goofy and Horace. "Negaduck's headed to the castle under here!" The three caught their wind and resume to follow Negaduck and Matt. Negaduck entered the docking bay of the castle and huffed as he ran to a pair of gigantic doors. As he caught his breath, a corridor of darkness opened behind Negaduck and revealed The Phantom Blot!

"Did Prince John's map worked?" Negaduck wheezed.

"Prince John's map never failed," the Blot answered. "Indeed. But there is one more component before we enter."

"Are you serious?" Negaduck furrowed his brow. "What the hell could that be?"

"We need light to enter the sunken kingdom," the Blot answered.

"Light?" Negaduck questioned. "Can't we use high-power flashlight?"

"Are you the Phantom Blot?" Matt arrived in between the conversation.

"Don't think you can stop both of us, boy!" the Phantom Blot disappeared behind the corridor, and then it shut.

"Come to think of it," Negaduck said what the Blot said. "Would this work?" Matt then hurled himself at Negaduck while he back against the giant doors. Unbeknownst to them, Negaduck stood in front of a smaller, more accessible door.

"And that's what happened two hours ago," Max finishes. He then guides them to the gigantic doors where Matt and Negaduck have been last seen. Jade uses his power of to sink into a puddle of shadow and skids across the hallway until arriving at the giant doors!

"Negaduck, you coward!" he bangs on the doors. "Open the door and fight like a man!"

Max and the _Elemental Force_ arrive after him. "Jade, what are you doing?" Sidney yells at him. "He's probably set a trap for all of us!"

"I'm opening these doors!" Jade rushes and tries to push open the royal giant doors.

"You don't what you're getting yourself into," Blue rushes to pull him back. "There could be Heartless on the other side! Can't we stop and think for a minute?"

"But the golden boy might be on the other side!" Jade hastily says.

"You hard of hearing?" Dorian asks and walks towards Jade, "Cut it out!"

Dorian reels back and grapples Jade. The two wrestle until Dorian slips onto Blue and both him and Jade fall through the same smaller door that Matt and Negaduck fell through!

"Dorian, you bastard!" Jade yells at him from the other side, "Look at what you did! There's a lot Heartless to deal with!"

"Just find the light switch!" Dorian yells.

"I'm kind of busy," Jade yells. "Damn, its pitch black in here," he says as he felt a Heartless slap him! "Who the hell do you think you are?

"_**Rhythm Kenpo! Cobradunga!**_" Dorian not knowingly attacks Jade.

"You idiot!" Jade yells at Dorian.

"I'm going in there," Lizzy readies his cannon.

"When'd you get the new suit?" Beige asks.

"I've been tinkering with blueprints," he smooches her. "I'll be back," Lizzy rushes in.

"Be careful!" she retorts.

He flies in and both Dorian and Jade yells at him, "Find the light switch!"

"_**Phaeton Flasher!**_" Lizzy shoots a light grenade upwards. The sparks spook the Heartless resting on the ceiling and then dropped to the floor!

"Oh crap!" Jade says.

"Hey! Here's the light switch," Dorian happily found the light switch. He turned it on, and then there were so many Heartless surrounding the three! They scream in descent of chaos! The _Elemental Force_ bust through with angry eyes, ready to help!

"Romeo," Sidney commands the corgi, "_**Let's Play!**_" He runs around as freely as he could, biting several of the Orange Beat-Boxes.

"_**He-Gun!**_" Sidney shapes her hands into guns and shoots fiery bullets at the Shadows and Soldiers!

One Large Body waddles behind her and she turns around shooting a large fireball at it, "_**Fire!**_"

"Nadine!" Blue calls on her as he transforms into his blue ball form. Shadows chase him down.

"You got it! Weeping Willow!" Nadine entangles thick ivy around her arms. "Brush!" She lashes at the Heartless chasing Blue!

One Lance Soldier on Ashleigh's left and right, One Hoodlum behind her and in front, she gathers wind in both of her palms. "Tempest Pressure!" Ashleigh smacks both the Hoodlums to the ground and shoots up a warm and cool whirling cyclone and knocks over the Heartless after her!

Red Nocturnes and Green Requiems surround Blue. "Easy enough! Ocean Axis!" he forms axes from his arms and slashes them right to left.

Six more Orange Beat-Boxes appear in front of Dorian and Jade. "I'll take the five and you can have the one right there," Jade unsheathes his claws!

"How about no?" Dorian asks. "They're all mine!"

"Really?" Jade darts off, "_**Forest Savior!**_"

He leaps and slashes the first three. Too bad the other three float towards Dorian!

"Hey!" Jade yells. "Get back here!"

"_**Rhythm Kenpo! Cobradunga!**_" With swift jabs, Dorian takes out the rest of the Heartless as they puff away in purple smoke!

"Great exercise!" Dorian comments. "I see everyone's getting a little stronger."

"A little?" Jade flexes. "These Heartless are nothing!"

Blue imitates Jade as he flexes his muscles! "GRR! I am so tough! RAWR!" Blue imitates Jades.

"Bah!" Jade huffs. "Stow it, Jell-o boy!"

Every one laughs for a bit until they became serious on how to find Matt. Their investigation begins broadly, in an empty throne room.

"I'm worried," Nadine whispers. "There has to be something else here."

"I know," Ashleigh soothes her. "I'm worried, too."

"We're all worried about him," as Blue transforms back. "This room is so big. Where can they possibly go?"

"I think I might know," Max walks through the small door. "This room is like a gate to the castle's main defense."

"You mean the source?" Lizzy asks.

Max feels around the throne's arm, until he presses a switch. The throne rattles and unearthed a hidden stairway. "This will take you down to the Hall of the Cornerstone," Max explains.

"What's down there?" Lizzy questions.

"I've never been down there," Max shrugs. "I'm only tech corporal. But from what my dad told me, what's downstairs is the castle's secret defense."

"So Daisy wasn't kidding about trying to keep this castle safe?" Dorian asks.

"She wasn't," Max answers.

Nadine, Sidney and Romeo went first and then every one else and Max followed them, the deeper the pathway the mustier every foot. Nadine races first to find a white pristine room. A large sphere made of crystal catches Nadine's attention. The sphere radiated with gold lights sits atop an ornate pedestal. Sidney and Romeo find Nadine staring at this peculiar sphere. Every one else and Max arrived shortly after.

"What is that?" Ashleigh asks.

"That," Max says. "Ladies and Gentlemen, is the Cornerstone of Light, the ultimate defense against the Heartless! Think of them as little nasty mosquitoes flying around and this Cornerstone like a citronella candle."

Nadine attempts to touch the sphere but the light inside it gleamed intensely! So intense, it went out. Then a sound of a small bit of broken glass resonates in the dark silence.

"What was that?" Nadine panics. The sphere radiated with golden light once more.

"And that's why we really need the King and Queen back," Max says. He walks over to find a chip of glass matching a tiny hole in the Cornerstone! "Like, ASAP."

"NADINE!" Sidney shouts in horror.

" I SWEAR I DIDN'T TOUCH IT!" Nadine shouts back. "Wait a minute," she stops to notice a glimmer of people inside it. She saw in black and white, Matt chasing down Negaduck for his _Elemental Jewel_. Negaduck peered at it and then used Matt's jewel to crack the sphere. The pictures repeat themselves like an animated gif.

"I think that's Matt," Dorian took a look at the pictures. "He looks… like an old cartoon."

"Maybe it's another world," Nadine comments. "Just like Sherwood."

Romeo once again perks his ears up and sniffs. With his nose against the floor, he sniffs until he found a place to pee. Oddly enough, his piddle stains a standing object of some sort. What he saw was a white piece of wood. Curiously, he presses his paw against the wood just to be sure it wasn't an illusion.

"Romeo!" Blue saw what Romeo did and proceeds to scold him. "You don't pee in royal castles! Even if it is the basement!"

Romeo ignores Blue and jumps up against the invisible object. He moans out of vex, thinking that someone might've stepped through this invisible door.

"Now what's wrong?" Blue tries to step in front of Romeo, but the same invisible door blocked him. Frustrated, he pushes hard enough for the invisible door to become visible. The door is rather tall, standing 8 feet and a pristine white color to match the room. Blue isn't aware of the now apparent door. Once more he heaves to attempt to get front of Romeo, Blue barges through the white door and tumbles inside the dark void! Romeo barks to alert the others!

"Where's Blue?" Max asks and saw a door slowly closing. "I don't remember a door being there!"

"Neither do we!" Nadine says. She ses Blue swirling inside the void. He cries and screams in terror and dizziness. He becomes smaller reaching the epicenter. "BLUE!"

Romeo jumps in after Blue, suffering from the swirling vortex in the void! Sidney jumps inside to grab Romeo, but she misses! Nadine tries to reach Sidney but the gravitation pulled Nadine from the edge!

Lizzy jumps off of Jade's shoulder. "Andromeda Hoist," he activates his right claw of his Tiny Titan 2.0 to shoot a claw towards Nadine. Nadine did hold on to Lizzy's extended claw, but the gravitational pull was too strong for Lizzy to pull back! Ashleigh hops to help Lizzy gain strength, but the void pulls them in. Dorian jumps in to grab Ashleigh, who is helping Lizzy, who helped Nadine, who reached for Sidney, who held onto Romeo's hind leg! Jade and Max are the only ones standing at the white door.

The door is slowly closing, Dorian relays his message to Max: "Tell the other's we're stuck in here. Plan a rescue!"

"You got it!" Jade said he tries to scurry away.

"GET OVER HERRREE!" Dorian roars as he nabs Jade's prehensile tail! "Where do you think you're going?"

Comical tears drop from Jade's eyes! His claws were no anchors to the fearsome pull of the void inside the door! Max watches in horror as the _Elemental Force _plummet into the epicenter. Their screams filled the empty space until the door was completely shut!

An hour past and Dorian was the first to awake from falling in the void in the door. That probably wasn't smart of him to latch onto Jade as he tried to make a break for it. But still, he didn't want the lizard man to do anything and leave them behind. Only Max can figure out something out with Daisy how to rescue them.

"Why is it so dark around here?" Blue asks. "Is everyone all right?"

"I'm fine," Sidney responds. "But Romeo hit his head hard."

"I have a potion if that would help," Nadine says. "But where are you?" She tiptoes on Romeo's belly! "SORRY! I didn't mean to step on you!"

"Damn!" Lizzy stomps. "My suit stopped functioning! I can't use any light."

"My night vision doesn't work here," Jade says. "I'm totally blind!"

"Hey look," Blue points… in the dark!

"That's not funny!" Ashleigh did not like that. "Oh!" She turns around in a 180° and finds the same door. "You think it'll lead back to where we came?"

"I'm not sure," Dorian checks the door as he places his hands on it. He presses harder and harder in hopes to open it. Blue joines Dorian and grunts as Sidney, Nadine, and Ashleigh. Romeo is awake and barks to cheer to push harder!

"If something isn't going to barge by pushing," Jade suggests as he climbs up on every one's backs. He leaps upwards, "then KICK IT!"

His extra kick does open the stuck door, having every one landing face flat! Romeo walks over everyone else to inspect the new place they've landed on.

"I don't feel… like myself," Sidney comments as she rubs her face. "Who has a mirror?"

"I think I do," Lizzy suddenly pulls a mirror from behind. Sidney peers into it, and shrieks. "What happened to me? My eyes? My hair? My limbs? My body? My clothes?"

"Oh goodness!" Lizzy comments. "You look like a school girl in rubber hose animation!"

"Speak for yourself!" Sidney fires back. "What happened to your suit you had on? All you have on are some red trunks!"

"And these pince-nez glasses," he says as smiles and adjusted. "What about everyone else?" Lizzy holds out his mirror to help everyone look at what they've become after setting foot on this strange, new world.

"I feel simple!" Blue comments as looks into the mirror: he reverted back to a blue ball and has cartoonish eyes and a single tooth visible from his mouth.

"Ó Meu Deus!" Jade says in despair. His figure is thinner and had the same "rubber hose" arms and legs. He sports a black derby, a black vest, and a Cuban cigar.

His eyes are just small little dots.

"Are you serious?" Nadine gawks at her image. Her hair is neatly wrapped into a bun with two small sticks holding the hair in place. The lipstick and floral print kimono she's wearing may have someone confused her for a geisha performer. "Did geishas ever happen in China?" Her once normal eyes have stylized into a rounded almond shape.

"You would be surprised," Lizzy says to Nadine.

Romeo shies away from the mirror, afraid of what he was looking at. He is still a quadruped, however every inch of his body is… plush! Sidney fell in love with Romeo's new look, and hugs him very tightly!

"No!" Ashleigh rejects her look. Her once soft afro-textured hair now mostly straightened out. Her slit dress is glittering red, with a semi-sweetheart cleavage. Her eyes are the shape as Jade's but bigger and had a softer appeal.

"It's not as bad as mine," Sidney comments.

"You think so?" Ashleigh asks.

"No it isn't," Sidney answers as she points to Dorian who winces at his image. "He's been groaning at the way he looked."

Dorian slumps over as he created a puddle of tears. He sported a 40s style Old Line University wind-bracer jacket over an orange sweater and skinny fitting jeans. "Go on without me!" he waves back at them with his face unrevealed.

"Okay," Jade attempts to leave. But Nadine uses her vine to trip him.

"Will you stop it?" Lizzy berates Dorian. "It is just. Hair."

"That's easy for you to say," Dorian whimpers. "You don't have any hair!"

"What's the matter, Dorian?" Ashleigh comforts him.

"Before we left," Dorian explains. "I had a few silver hairs. But now," he turns around. His eyes were big, but in between Sidney and Ashleigh's big and Jade's small. They looked like pies with the first slice taken out. His nose was more rounded out. His afro-textured hair was now shaped into a pompadour with a spit curl hanging low against his forehead. But his hair was parted into two colors: dark umber and ash gray being the entire front of the pompadour.

Ashleigh takes a closer look at his pompadour by running her index and middle fingers through it. She rubs them against her thumb and sneezes. "Its just dust," she concludes.

"Dust?" Dorian turns the other way and strokes his hair, seeing dust particles fly off. "Ew! Is that why it its gray? There, I think I got some of it. How do I look now?"

Lizzy once again holds his mirror out. Dorian peers and found his pompadour to be silver after all! He once again falls into despair.

"Look," Ashleigh comforts him. "You're trying to lead us into becoming stronger. Training with those jewels around your necks isn't easy. And having a weird key thing for a weapon isn't helping either. That's what stress does to you. Besides, I love it when a man has a little salt and pepper in his hair."

Dorian sniffs, "You do?"

"Absolutely," she smiles and winks. "It makes him look… vogue!"

"Vogue?" Dorian thought as he raises himself. His team had already felt his fierceness return. "I like it! Now let's go get Matt back!"

Everyone bumps fists in the air to signify that no matter where they go the newer worlds will not faze them!

"All that over his hair?" Sidney thought in annoyance.


	26. 1942

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 25: 1942

"Okay," Lizzy begins. "Maybe I'm right about my theory about going to different worlds AND in different time periods. Did Matt or Negaduck look any similar to us?"

"Only Matt did," Nadine answers. "Where can we go to find him?" She walks over a hill to find a city, hustling and bustling with music and rhythm!

"I'll check some of the schools," Sidney points around the schools that literally breathed in and out students. "That's creepy!"

"Maybe I'll go with you," Blue suggests.

"I'll see if he checked in any these hotels around' here," Jade says with a Bronx accent.

"What's with the accent?" Blue ask.

"I look like I was drawn from Empire City," Jade shrugs his shoulders. "I guess I would fit."

"I'll see if he's injured in any the hospitals around," Lizzy ditty-bops when he saw visibly wispy musical phrases.

"Stop dancing!" Jade grimaces.

"I can't help it if I'm in tuned with this world," he explains.

"Romeo?" Sidney asks him, "Could you check the all the parks here?" He nods and then squeaks…

"I'll see if he's still chasing Negaduck downtown," Ashleigh says.

"Or he might've lost him," Nadine adds. "The last place he might be is eating in any of these restaurants."

"I'll see if he's at that radio station," Dorian says as he pointed up to a tall radio tower with the letters WIZ imprinted.

"Why look in there?" Sidney asks.

"In case if he's lost Negaduck, maybe to broadcast an emergency alert?" Dorian suggests. "We don't know how big this world is, so let's move it!"

"YEAH!" Every one ran off in their direction to look for Matt.

…

"Man," Blue says as he ganders at the children. All of them were either a type of anthromorph: bear cub, puppy, chick, and calf. "And I thought I was out of place when I came to Charm City."

"He shouldn't be to hard to find," Sidney comments. "Oye!" she points as she hides herself and Blue in the bushes.

"What is it?" Blue whispers back.

"It's Negaduck," she points to the same conniving menace they met back on Sherwood!

"He's doesn't have any color," Blue mutters, "But no doubt that's him!"

"Which is weird, why is he there?" Sidney asks.

"Oh my Poseidon!" Blue reacts as he jumps out. "He's got a chainsaw!"

"He's crazy!" she jumps out with fire in her hands. "YOU leave them alone!"

Negaduck turns around and he looks at them in nuisance. "What I hate more than brats are brats that come out of nowhere!"

"You psychopath!" Sidney says, "Don't you have what you wanted?"

"Not anymore," Negaduck answers that somehow he lost possession of the _Light Jewel_ to the children of the playground. "And that's what I've been trying to get back!"

"Stay away from the kids!" Blue warns as he molds his hands into axes. Negaduck wielded his weapon and tries to cut Blue. But it was in vain, as Blue cannot be harmed by normal weapons in that form! Blue attempts to swing at Negaduck, but he was too agile! Sidney matches him with her speed and manages to singe his cape to ashes. Some of this trick marbles fell from the burning cape!

"My stuff!" Negaduck panics as Sidney took another step closer towards him. He knelt down to find his smokescreen ball and threw it on the concrete! Smoke billows as he made his escape. As it cleared, he was never seen again. Sidney inspects the gadgets Negaduck dropped and thinks they would come in handy one day.

"Dang it!" Blue says as the smog lifts up, "He's gone."

"Hey mister," says a girl who guarded the jewel. "Is this your friend's?"

"Why yes it is," Blue answers. The girl hands him Matt's jewel. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I only scraped my knee," the girl says. "But I'm okay," she glomps Blue as he returns a hug.

Sidney smiles as she found a flyer floating in the wind. 'Folks, now's your time to have a great time,' Sidney reads the advertisement. "Blue, come here."

Blue waves the children goodbye as he sloshes towards Sidney, away from the school grounds.

"Great time," Blue shifts to his childish nature. "Where at?"

'The WIZ Symphony Hall,' she reads. "That's where Dorian said he might find Matt," Sydney says. 'The Symphony Hour starts at 8 o'clock.'

"So it's a symphony hall and a radio station," Blue thought out loud. "What else could they do?"

Their stomachs growled as they walk away to get something to eat.

"Do you have any loose change, Sid?" Blue asks.

…

Jade wondered into the big city from one hotel to another. "I'm sure Eagle has to be in one of these," he thought to himself as he walked through the rotating door. Running in while the manager's out having a coffee break was enough time to check the reservation books. "And no sign of Matthew Masters," he says. The fourth hotel, Pete's Block Spot Hotel, was the latest he'll check in. He was exhausted from the city heat he wasn't used to and took a seat at the manager's desk, without the manager, strangely.

Then an odd, fat cat walked in, looking sore and tired and sweaty. "Hey you, what're you doing back there?" he yells at Jade.

"Who the hell are you?" Jade took a good look at him, only finding a black cat in overalls and a minor captain's hat to a ferry ride.

"You don't know who I am, eh?" he points at himself. "I'm Pete. And I run this hotel!"

"Yeah sure, and am I'm Red Skelton!" Jade sarcastically says.

"The nerve of ya'!" Pete shouts back, "What're you doing behind my desk, anyway? That's for authorized personnel only!"

"I'm looking for someone who might've checked in here," Jade flips through the pages quickly. Aggravating Pete long enough, he walks over and then shoves Jade out of the desk space. Jade tackles Pete behind the desk. They just went at it!

Pete leans back and with full force and knocks Jade off his feet, outside the hotel door! "If you looking for a 'Matt," Pete bellows as he held the doors, "HE'S NOT HERE!" then he slams the doors hard enough to break the glass!

Jade then saw the sun slowly setting. Then he looked up the fourth floor hearing Pete shouting even more, "AND YOU OVERSTAYED YOUR WELCOME! GET OUTTA HERE!"

A figure with a flashy suit jumped from the windows.

"Aye, Jobim!" Jade stresses as he watched the figure fall from the fourth floor. But the figure landed safe on his hands and feet. The flashy figure dashes pass Jade, as the two of them had glimpsed at each other before the figure ran away.

"Where have I seen him from?" Jade gasps.

…

"Okay," Lizzy walks out his fifth hospital to look for Matt. "Thank You, Doctor."

"Shoot!" Lizzy worries further as he thought. "He's been this world about an hour before us. I fear for his well being."

"Is that?" he sees a big-eared mouse in a doctor's garb…

"I'm seeing things," he says to himself as he crawled up to his sixth hospital.

"Doctor Mickey," says a tall, thin womanly nurse. "We have an emergency."

"Oh No! I hope Matt isn't hurt!" Lizzy crawls through the double way doors, but they shut around his waist!

"Damn it!" Lizzy tries squeezing through the doors, "A good time to be stuck!"

"Doctor Mickey" notices Lizzy stuck between the doors. He promptly and gently opens the doors, letting Lizzy slip out.

"Thank You," Lizzy says. "Doctor Mickey" walks away before Lizzy could address himself to important matters.

"Just a minute, doctor," Lizzy halts "Doctor Mickey."

"I have the most pressing matter I have to address," Lizzy says as "Doctor Mickey" turns his head to listen. "Have you any patient named Matthew Masters," he asks. "He's about 6'3"."

"Doctor Mickey" looks at his clipboard, and then shrugs his shoulders.

"To my belief," Lizzy thought. "This dismisses the fact that King Mickey had a doctoral role… he didn't even look in his record books."

Lizzy bows his head and politely thanks the "doctor" for nothing. Discouraged, he leaves the building and peers right as poster man brushes glue on the brick wall. The poster he put up said, "WIZ RADIO PRESENTS SYMPHONY HOUR! All you can eat buffet, all you can drink bar! The fun starts 8 o'clock! The promotion is brought to you by Sylvester Macaroni!"

"Sylvester Macaroni?" he thought to himself. "I've never heard of him. Maybe Sidney has." With that thought, he heads to the WIZ Symphony Hour.

…

Romeo grew frustrated with his search, pressing his nose on the hard concrete, smelling if he could pick up Matt's scent. Walking down the sidewalk, numerous car horns and beeps scared him, ruining his concentration. With a smidgen of luck before a Ford Model drove through a puddle, Romeo traces Matt's scent!

SPLASH!

Now soaked, he jumps around the other way and yelps angrily at the driver!

He follows the scent to a city park, where there were kids playing, and the parents picnicking. Then a small, obvious pool of darkness enveloped a patch of grass near an oak tree! Out came a Shadow Heartless! He growls intensely as it wobbled around scaring other folks. Romeo's instinct kicks in and he chases the Shadow around the park! From along the fencing, to under the picnic tables, to leaping on and off the swing sets, to on and off small trees! The Shadow grew tired of the chase and the dog's barking, and then there was a quick whistle to get its attention. The whistle also attracted Romeo as he ran closer, until he stopped in his tracks to find a Heartless stronger than he is! The pool slowly closed as the shadow slowly emerges. Its head popped up first. It seemed it looked like it was wearing a hat. Then its arms were svelte against its body. The arms ripped from the body to reveal nasty long claws. The growth stopped as it let out a chilling groan! Romeo backed up and then ran away from the monstrosity! He ran in and out of random buildings so fast, he looked as if he were a lightning bolt. The Heartless pursued him at the same pace!

…

"OH, COME ON!" yells a desperate man. He appeared to look similar to Goofy, however his ears were wide and floppy. His nose drooped and wore pince-nez glasses. His top hat was shaggy along with his coat. "Just hand me your Munny!"

Ashleigh hurriedly runs out of a mobster's apartment, "You couldn't even tell me where is Matthew Masters, anyway!"

"Look lady," the man says. "I just happened to know where he was going."

"And needing money to remember?" Ashleigh reminds him.

"Have it your way," the man ordered his gang to draw their guns at Ashleigh. "I don't see what's so great about this "Matt" you keep prattling about. Personally, you'd be a great addition to my staff for me, Sylvester Shyster. Attorney of law!"

"Hey, boss?" says one of his affiliates, "Where is she?"

"You lost your glasses or something, Charlie?" Sylvester nags as he looked up. "She's gone?"

"Where she goes?" asks another affiliate. The gang of five turned their heads left and right, no sign of Ashleigh. Until they looked up, that is.

"Looking for me, boys?" she floats, seeing she maintained her powers.

"Is it me, or is it hot," Charlie asks one of his teammates.

"I'm feeling the heat all right," as the gang member collapses, dropping his Tommy gun.

"_**Hot Air Dome!**_" she whispered.

"OH NO," Charlie panics. "Johnny!"

"Shut up!" Sylvester commands, "And shoot her already!"

"You're a terrible lawyer!" She put her palms out in front, "_**Hurricane Beat!**_"

A blast of coastal winds and hot air knock Sylvester and the rest of his gang off their feet!

"She's too much to handle, boss!" Charlie dreads.

"What'd you means too much to handle?" Sylvester grabs Charlie's shirt collar!

"She's got those super-powers, boss! SUPERPOWERS!" Charlie crawls away from the approaching Ashleigh.

"She's nothing but full of hot air and that can't hurt us!" Sylvester claimed, as he is unaware of her presence.

"Full of hot air, uh?" she winds up her fist, gathered cool air, and jammed it in his jaw bone, "_**Atlanta Storm!**_"

The strike gusts Sylvester several feet back, into a bunch of garbage cans!

"Boss!" Johnny recovers and helped his boss up from the heap. "Look over there…"

Unknown to Ashleigh, there was a looming figure behind her. Standing at least 6 feet.

"Charlie, hand me Annabelle!" the crooked lawyer asks as Charlie whipped out a long revolver. "Let's see if I can kill two birds with one stone!"

The evil lawyer Sylvester aims carefully at Ashleigh. She saw the gun and remembers Dorian being shot at by Snipes. However, Sylvester didn't aim straight for her. His injuries and his oncoming fright of the figure made him shake. He shut his eyes and shot Ashleigh. The bullet grazes her left arm, tearing off some skin! She winces and holds on as the shadowy figure jumps over her. The figure dropped his shadow cloak to reveal his himself: just as dark as Ashleigh with two neat dreadlocks hanging opposite of his head. He wears a sweater vest and khakis. Sylvester drops his gun as the man picked up Sylvester by the collar and punched him across his jaw. Johnny and Charlie quickly got up and collected the fainted Sylvester.

"Beat it," the figure growls. Following the command, they left while Diamond bled. "Who're you?" she asks.

"Let me have a look," he turned around. His face looked as youthful as a boy's. He hands her an ointment. She daps into it and rubbed it on her wounds. She tried to hand it back to him, but he refused to take it back.

"Thanks. A name would be nice," Ashleigh asks.

The figure looks around. "I shouldn't tell you this," he says. "But I'm from Charm City. Are from either that place or Dover?"

"I'm from Charm City. Why?" she ponders.

"Good," the young man whispers. "Maybe you can help me. Meet me at the WIZ Symphony Hall tonight."

Ashleigh looks across the street and found the radio station. "How come you don't want to talk about it here?" she asks.

"Meddling in world affairs in the past isn't a good idea," he walks by until Ashleigh caught his hand. The figure turned and then reveals his face again.

"How did you get stuck here?" Diamond asks.

"I'll explain everything in good time," he says as his shadow cloaks him and ran off.

…

"Well, shit!" Dorian's not having the best of luck in the radio station. He scratches his head, trying to find a clue where he could be, maybe to issue emergency alert on the broadcast. He proceeds down the hall until he heard horns blaring in unison. "This place is a recording studio, too?" Dorian asks himself.

Dorian heard oboes filling the phrase, and then trumpets readied and fires notes! Then a violin melodies as the French horn, bass clarinet, trombones, and tuba steadily filled the hall. The music stopped as Dorian used his ears to find this wondrous piece. He looked to the right of him and there was a large room to compensate at least 100 people. Dorian looked further to find a symphony orchestra rehearsing.

"Don't let up!" shouts the conductor, when he brought directed them into the final phase of the overture-sounding piece. There was another man, much taller than the conductor, wearing a tuxedo smoking a cigar. He seemed to be enjoying the music very much by dancing a shanty in one spot. When the overture ended with splendor, the man in the tuxedo was rather overjoyed by the rehearsal.

"THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT," the fat man in the tux applauds. "THAT'S-A JUST RIGHT!"

The conductor with the large round ears bowed, "Well thank you Mr. Macaroni."

"I," Mr. Macaroni continues to clamor to the symphony orchestra. "Macaroni, have promoted this all over se city! And tonight, we're gonna make history!"

"He's deluded," Dorian thinks to himself. "But, I think Sidney likes this kind of music. Maybe I'll ask her about this later." Dorian then thought out loud, "What time is it?"

"It is," Mr. Macaroni steps out of the recording studio. He pulls his sleeve up and the watch told it was 6:35 pm. "What're doing out here, anyway?"

Mr. Macaroni was a little suspicious about Dorian, so he thinks of a lie. "I… happen to be an intern here at WIZ. And… I made sure the stage was all set for the symphony orchestra."

Mr. Macaroni believed Dorian's fib and smiles, "That's a nice lad. Thank you. You would be staying for the performance, yes?"

"I don't want to miss it," Dorian keeps lying. Dorian looked over Mr. Macaroni to find Goofy packing the last instrument. There was another gentleman helping Goofy out with the instruments, but he wasn't sure.

"You might want to go open se doors for se guests," Mr. Macaroni suggests while he walked in the staircase leading to the balcony.

"Yes sir, Mr. Macaroni," Dorian agrees as he sways away, still under the euphoria. "Keep cheesing," Dorian mutters as he walks into the rehearsal room to see if it was Matt and Goofy. Indeed it was Goofy having a difficult time balancing all of the instruments in his arms.

"Matt?" Dorian calls for him. "MATT?" a little louder. He turned around to see he has the same eye style as Dorian does. His hair was a little wild and wore a button down shirt. "DUDE!" Matt answers back.

"We've been looking for you!" Dorian smiles. "Man, you're alright! Come on, we've got to get to the others! They're probably at the front right now!"

"What's the point?" Matt sounds despondent.

"What'd you mean?" Dorian insists. "You've been gone for like five hours!"

"I can't go back with you guys," Matt says.

"My man," Dorian begins. "If it's about the jewel, I'm sure we can get it back from Negaduck! Stop negging out!"

"There's no point of getting it back now," Matt raises his voice.

"'Scuse me?" Dorian asks. "We've got this! You and Blue aren't just pushovers…"

"Listen!" Matt yells and Dorian pauses. "He said something about that _weapon_. That weapon is too powerful, even for all of us to handle! We fought on that hill, that light sphere thing. He chipped into it with my jewel and took that piece and just left."

"You mean he's the one who chipped the Cornerstone?" Dorian asked.

"It's him and the Phantom Blot!" Matt says with watery eyes. "They said they need _Light_ to get in _Atlantis_ to find _this weapon_, plus _Tartarus and his army_? What're we supposed to do against those odds?"

Dorian's brows furrow in thought of what Matt said. He then bit his lip and looked left. "Those are dangerous odds. Fighting against the odds, every single day. They shout 'Fuck you' to me I yell 'Fuck you' back. They shove me I shove right back! If it hits me hard, I'll hit harder!"

"That works because it's you doing it!" Matt says.

"Not true! You who said that?" Dorian asks.

"Me?" Matt asks.

"You were the quarterback captain of the King George High School Royals Football team in 2007! You've been sacked every down in the season, and you even broke your leg! But did that stop you to become the champion of the Capital Tournament? Where is the MVP, the NCAA prospect of 2011, the guy who finished with 20 touchdown passes and NO interceptions? He didn't mope around when the opponent has the upper hand and sure as hell he didn't stop! We may not have a game plan, but we're coaching ourselves on how to get stronger, to prepare the Phantom Blot, Negaduck, and Tartarus' army!"

Dorian shook his head and walks downstairs. "But I guess the champ died five hours ago." Dorian says with a rasp.

Matt stands in the rehearsal room with tears glimmering down his cheeks. He remembers when he did have that broken leg: the leg he stands on while throwing. He hobbled up and down the field, and dived to break the tie of the game, winning the tournament! He sobs and shakes his fists.


	27. Symphony Hour

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 26: Symphony Hour, Light Calvary Overture

The time read 7:20 pm and the WIZ Symphony Hall hustled and bustled with folk of different classes. Taxis pulled up, and limousines arrived with tens of hundreds of people wearing their Sunday's best. Nadine checked in every restaurant in Timeless Disney Town, but she feels as if her efforts weren't enough to find Matt. The last place she looked was a deli, which was closing for the night. She did not want to bother checking inside. She turned her head when the door opened to ring its bell. It was Sidney and Blue, eating sandwiches and chips. Blue bit into an apple and calls for Nadine. Nadine's hope had risen.

"Have you tried these?" Blue offers an apple to her. "They're mouthwatering! Oh wait, I'm made of water! WATER JOKE!" Blue giggles until Sidney slaps him.

"So," Nadine says. "Have you any luck?"

"We found Negaduck scaring some kids earlier," Blue answers. "And we kicked his butt."

"He's still here?" Nadine panics.

"But the kids took this from him," Sidney pulls the _Jewel of Light_ from her overalls. Nadine's chance to find Matt was risen higher.

"That's awesome!" Nadine beams. "I feel that we're so close. We need to find every one else."

"No need to," says Lizzy's voice from below. "I figured every one would meet up here."

"You wouldn't believe what happened to me," says Jade's voice from a pool of shadow. He reemerges from the pool. "The weirdest thing happened today. I was checking the hotels, and this stranger fell from the third floor, landing on his feet!"

"That's nothing," Ashleigh floats from above and lands to meet with every one else. "Some guy who thought he was a lawyer tried to have me. And then this stranger helped me."

"Stranger?" Jade asks. "Was he like some kind of shadowy thing?"

"Not the Phantom Blot," Ashleigh answers. "He actually had a handsome face. He looked cute."

"Never mind the stranger," Lizzy detests. "Where's Romeo?" Sidney's hearing picked up howling from miles away. The howling increases in volume. She turns and saw a light green flash headed their way. Lizzy hops on her shoulder and pulls binoculars out. He zooms them in to find Romeo running for his life!

"He misses me," Sidney suggests as she knelt.

"I don't think that's the reason," Lizzy says. "He's coming up too fast! Get out the way!"

A rumble rattles the pavement as Sidney and the others felt. As the others saw no slowing down of the corgi puppet, they jump out of the way to let Romeo rocket himself towards the hall's doors! And another thing whizzed by them at equal speed chasing Romeo!

"What was Romeo running away from?" Lizzy asks.

"A Heartless!" says a voice. The voice belongs to the stranger Ashleigh and Jade met earlier. "That's going to ruin the concert tonight."

"You mind telling us what's going on here, Mister Quiet Voice?" Ashleigh retorts. Every one else turns to the mysterious stranger. "Who are you?"

The stranger sighs and answers everyone's question. "Fine. I'm Darrell. Darrell Jackson. I came from Charm City, just like some of y'all."

Every one but Jade relaxed. "If you're from there?" Ashleigh asks. "Then, how'd you end up here?"

"Let's just say I got lost in a snow storm," Darrell tries to not make anything complicated. "Looking for a friend who is looking for her father."

"I remember that day," Sidney and every one else remembers the time Charm City had a terrible snow storm that blanketed the city for a week in five feet. "That was a year ago."

"I love to talk about this," Darrell says as he seemed to be in a hurry. "But I need to find that guy who locked me in here!"

"Negaduck did that to you?" Jade asks Darrell.

"I need to go," Darrell kneels down. "Before I go, your friends Dorian and Matt are safe in this Symphony Hall, until that Heartless does something."

Jade tries to stop Darrell but his jump is strong enough to knock him off his feet. He was last seen atop of the 20 story high WIZ Radio Station. "I wanna jump like that," Jade comments on Darrell's incredible ability.

"I have so many questions," Lizzy says.

"COME ON," Sidney snaps every one back together. "We need to get Romeo and Matt!"

"What about your brother?" Nadine asks.

"No flips are given," Sidney blatantly says. Every one bent out of shape to hear such a thing from her. "POOCHIE," Sidney turns towards the wrecked double doors and ran inside. Every one followed Sidney into the Symphony Hall in hopes to find the three, and the Heartless.

…

Dorian was about to take the elevator down to the first floor. He saw the clock reading 7:30 pm and he pressed the button. "Déjà vu all over again," he says to himself. He reminded himself that his had happened back in Chapter Two. "Watch, as soon as I get on here, something bad is gonna happen."

Dorian sees the small conductor with the member of the symphony orchestra handling music stands and sheets of music. The member looked like Donald Duck for a second. As soon as the door opened, Dorian let the conductor and Donald onto the elevator. "Thank you," the two say in unison.

Dorian saw two more members handling all the instruments. They looked like they where going to lose balance. Dorian yell at them, "Slow down! You got fifteen minutes!"

The two members slow down, hearing Dorian's voice. Goofy peeks his head around the instruments. "What's goin on?"

"There's not enough space on the elevator," says the conductor. "We'll come back to get ya!"

Dorian peeks around to find another band member holding onto the instruments. This one was the same Matt. "Look," Matt says. "I didn't mean to be… it's just that… Just let me put down these instruments and I'll get back to you guys!" Matt's face turns beet red as he struggles to hold on to the instruments and Dorian smiles recognizing Matt's spirit.

"Last call for Symphony Hour," announces the bellhop. "Last call for Symphony hour. I'll be back in five minutes. GOING ALL UP!"

The elevator doors close, leaving Dorian, Goofy, and Matt. All three felt a slight rumble in the halls. Dorian checks the left turn of the hall to see where the rumble came from. All three heard a barking echo. Dorian then saw a light green flash of light headed towards him. "Romeo?" he asks. Romeo ran at the speed of a racecar, almost bombarding Dorian to the wall. Romeo twisted himself to run in a straight line, into Matt and Goofy's direction. "ROMEO WAIT!" Matt shouts, as Romeo did not stop running! He crashes into Matt and Goofy right through the glass elevator door! All three of them wail as they crashed to the bottom floor! Dorian sweats as he ran to the scene of the accident. "Are y'all alright?" Dorian asks them and then looks up to find the elevator. "You might wanna move!"

Goofy stumbles out of the way struggling to pull off his top hat. Matt pulls Romeo out of the timpani. The elevator arrived at the bottom floor, however it crushed all of the instruments in Goofy and Matt's care! Matt pets Romeo in relief he's safe. However when Goofy finally pulled his top hat off, he reveled in horror to find the all the instruments flattened and ruined! "Gawrsh!" he remarks. "How're we gonna play now?"

…

_The Elemental Force_ minus Matt, Dorian, and Romeo awaiting their arrival at the lobby of the radio station. Nadine checks the clock when it said 7:50 pm. "Where's Matt and Dorian? Where's Romeo?"

"I'm sure they'll show up," Ashleigh calms her down.

Meanwhile inside the concert hall, the conductor is worried. "Where's Goofy? Where're the instruments?"

He ran towards an emergency exit to shout his friend's name loudly. The echoes reverberated to the bottom floor. Matt and Goofy pull the pancaked instruments as Romeo rests from his chase. Goofy hears the conductor's voice and responded, "I'M COMING!"

The clock ticked away until it buzzed at 8 pm. The radio director then announces "The Macaroni Symphony Hour!"

Mr. Macaroni sat very comfortably in his personal balcony and puffs away his cigar and blew out smoke clouds in shape of $10,000,000.

"We bring you another magnificent program," the director continues. "Brought to you in full by the distinctive man of class, Sylvester Macaroni."

The conductor peers from the pedestal and gleams a smile. He climbs on top, and raises his baton to lead his symphony orchestra into the overture with grace and serenity.

"They're taking too long," Nadine pouts. "They should be here n…"

Staccato notes from a flattened trumpet interrupt her complaints. The following phrase was filled with broken xylophone and torn cello strings. Sidney covers her ears to avoid listening to it. "What is this crap?" she asks. "This isn't music!"

"No it ain't," says Dorian walks out of the elevator with Romeo. Sidney clamor to Romeo, much to his chagrin. "It was hard finding Matt, but he's here…"

Nadine smacks him upside the head and shook him violently. "WHERE IS HE?"

"H-h-he's in there," Dorian points inside the concert hall. She let him go to fall and gazed inside. She found him by his distinctive hair sitting in the front row.

"Why's he sitting there?" Nadine quizzes.

"Free seating for interns," Dorian answers. Sidney continues to plug her ears from the symphony's horrid sound. But her eye catches a strange man standing beside the pedestal. He morphs into the shadow and was about to attack the conductor, who tries to keep his composure from failing Mr. Macaroni.

That man behind him wore a dark pinstripe suit and a trilby. His eyes widened in enjoyment of hunting down the conductor. "A Heartless?" Matt whispers as he rose out of his seat and ran to the stage.

A smoke grenade drops and spews the thick gas. Surprisingly the symphony continued its ruined sounding overture. "There you are," Negaduck clears the smoke with his new cape. "I've been looking for you all day!" The audience and Mr. Macaroni gasped.

"Haven't you got what you needed?" Matt asks him.

"Not quite," Negaduck answers as he threw his trick marbles in the air. "Tartarus did say that once I meet the _Elemental Force_ again, I could do as I please to kill all of you!"

"As far as to stop us," Matt retaliates as he smacks some of the marbles back at Negaduck, preventing any one from getting hurt. He misses several more, but Darrell drops from the ceiling, creating a vortex from thin air and absorbed the trick marbles!

The rest of the _Elemental Force_ bursts from the doors! Lizzy pulls a textbook from his pants and read about the new Heartless. "Look at that thing! It's called a Zoot Suit," he reads his book. "A well dressed Heartless that uses the beat of swinging music to connect his attacks. Weapons are what now?"

"Nyeh!" the Zoot Suit pulls out Thompson guns from his suit. "LOOK OUT," Lizzy wails, "HE'S GOT A TOMMY GUN!"

"A GUN," Blue melts. "DUCK AND COVER!"

The Heartless fires away at _the Elemental Force_. Dorian pulls the carpet up and waves it hard enough to stop the Zoot Suit from shooting. The symphony finished their piece and began an improvised jam session.

"AT LEAST THEY WON'T HURT YOU!" Jade yells at Blue.

"I forget," Blue says. "How dare that vile fiend?" he radiates.

"There's goes my show business," Negaduck pulls out his gun and shoots a grappling hook to the ceiling. "Zoot Suit," he orders. "We're outta here!"

"He won't get away from me that easily," Darrell hops along after Negaduck. When the symphony orchestra finished their lackluster piece, Mr. Macaroni cried about what happened.

"I'M A RUINED!" he blubbers. "MY FORTUNE IS GONE!" He soon thinks it would have been over, but the audience gave a standing ovation to the conductor's performance. Not just him, but the symphony orchestra still holding on to when the Heartless, Matt, Negaduck, Darrell, and the _Elemental Force_ made their entrances.

The Elemental Force bows along with the conductor and the symphony orchestra to the roaring audience.

"I think I remember that piece," Sidney says to Matt. "But we'll have to talk about it later."

"Thank you!" Dorian bows one more time and then signals his team to leave. "GOODNIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

…

Negaduck runs from inevitable defeat. Out of breath as he stopped at the wharf, near the hill of the glowing sphere. "I may not have the jewel," he wheezes. "But I have something along those lines. And you said least two more pieces of _Light are enough to get in Atlantis?_"

"We need the whole Cornerstone of Light," says the Phantom Blot as he exits the Dark Corridor. "But Mortimer and I have created a device to siphon the Light out of the Queen and made casings to hold it. That should be enough Light to enter Atlantis at least twice!"

Negaduck looks around, "Just remember that this is MY _weapon_. This Tartarus guy can look at it, but he can't touch it!"

"Yes, Negaduck," the Phantom Blot shrugs his brow. "It's your Keyblade. But I doubt you could handle that much power!"

"My heart is strong enough for it," Negaduck ensures. "If DarkWing Duck's heart is strong enough to have a Keyblade, then mine should be as well."

"_**Terra Bullet!**_" Dorian shoots at a distance with his Keyblade. Negaduck was hit on his bill and tripped!

Matt runs over to stand against Negaduck. The Phantom Blot swoops over and then reforms. "You can't be serious?" the Blot says to Matt. "Defeated? By them?"

"It's not just the jewels," Negaduck says. "But Mickey was right, that kid has the Keyblade!" he points to Dorian.

As Negaduck sat up, he jumped back on his two feet. "_Elemental Force_, as soon as I get my hands on that _weapon_," Negaduck opens the Dark Corridor. "Darkness will blanket on every world and I will rule every world with an iron fist!"

Nadine looks up to him and shoots vines from her fingers, to stop Negaduck from entering. The Zoot Suit uses its claws to shred her vines!

"Later, chumps!" Negaduck escapes laughing.

A vortex of purple and black swirls and Darrell shoot himself out of it! The Zoot Suit Heartless jumps in surprise and then focuses to combat the mysterious Darrell.

"Out of my way!" Darrell says before the Dark Corridor closes. The Heartless tilts its head to the right. "Nyeh?" the Heartless seems confused.

Darrell kicks high and drops down to sweep the Heartless off its feet! The Heartless rises up to dance some type of Charleston step. The Dark Corridor closes up.

"Weird little thing, isn't it?" Jade locks his eyes between Darrell and the Heartless.

"This isn't any ordinary Heartless," the Blot says

"What you mean?" Matt rolls up his sleeves.

"What is that thing's weakness?" Lizzy ponders. "What could it be?"

"We'll see," Sidney wants to experiment. "Hey, Romeo!" Sidney and Romeo took the chance. "_**Curl-Up!**_" she commands. He curled up.

"How'd he do that?" Lizzy worries about Romeo's long spine. Romeo, while curled, rolled forward as the Zoot Suit Heartless darts away from Romeo's spinning. Sydney made three hand signals like a ninja would, and spits fire at the balled-up dog! "_**Mera Zenmai!**_" setting him on fire!

"You nuts, Sid?" Dorian yelps. "He'll burn alive!"

"He'll be fine!" she looks over her shoulder. "As long as he still spins fast enough, Romeo won't have a problem with the flames."

As the Heartless trips up, Romeo scorches it! The Zoot Suit Heartless flies into the brick wall of the warehouse.

"That was awesome!" Dorian comments.

"Phantom!" Darrell says as he ran towards the Blot.

The Phantom Blot snaps his fingers and the same Zoot Suit Heartless warps from a pool of darkness to block Darrell's kick! He unleashes a barrage of kicks.

"That Heartless is tough," Matt is shocked find it unharmed.

"Boss Class," the Blot laughs. "He's a Boss Class Heartless!"

"Glad I can do business with ya!" It spoke with a Brooklyn accent.

Darrell continues to pummel the Zoot Suit until Matt readies his fist full of electricity. The Phantom Blot blasts a dark bolt at Matt! The bolt weakens Matt, as the Blot backhands him! "You have no idea who you're dealing with," the Phantom Blot smacks him again.

"You don't have an idea either," Matt says. He bleeds from his nose and sees Nadine with arms covered in vines.

The Blot held his hand on the ground and his shadow attached to the Zoot Suit's collar. The Heartless regains strength from Darrell's beating. Now the Zoot Suit stood 5'11" with two Thompson guns in each claw!

The Phantom Blot powered Heartless elongates his claws at Nadine. Darrell forms a vortex, and then shrinks by clasping his hands. He creates a knife and throws it! The knife zips between the head and shoulder of the Heartless, nearly sucking it in! The Heartless looks back at the implosion and back at Nadine.

She concentrates her fullest, "_**Rose Harness!**_" She completely wraps up the powered Heartless with sharp vines, but they weren't thin as usual. They are thick and tough. She crosses her arms with her palms facing the sky, her fingernails grown into spiny green teeth! The teeth grew five feet more! With the weight of her nails she ran to the cocooned Heartless, she closes her hands acting as a Venus flytrap catching its prey, "_**Dionaea Trap!**_" She shreds the insides of the rose thorn cocoon. The vines fall to reveal a pierced Heartless!

"That… was unforgivable," the Heartless spoke weakly. He reaches for the Tommy gun but there were no more bullets to be fired. Darrell kicks the useless gun out of its claws.

"Say uncle," Darrell stood by it.

"You useless shit!" the Phantom Blot yells. He turns around to find Matt freed from the dark bolt. Furious, he uppercuts the Phantom Blot, and lands near the Heartless. "You think you've won that easily?" he asks. "_**Shadow Collection!**_" The Blot raises his arm he and the Heartless delve into a pool of darkness! He spawns in the opposite side of the field, standing. His shadow wobbles about on the ground, and then it took shape of the Zoot Suit Heartless!

"What the hell is this?" Matt looked on in awe.

"A technique Maleficent had taught me," the Phantom Blot says. "Let's see how this plays out."

"I'm not scared of your new tactic," Matt looks on. "In fact why should I be scared if you have an army against us?"

He shows of his _Jewel of Light_ to the Blot, "No matter what happens, I'll keep shining! We'll keep shining!"

The Phantom Blot opens his right palm, "And I'll keeping absorbing! _**Thompson Roll!**_"

The Zoot Suit Heartless appears half-bodied out of the Blot's palm, holding and firing it Tommy gun!

"Shit!" Darrell ran in zigzag patterns, "He can he do that?"

"That isn't all I got!" the Blot holds out both of his palms, "_**Double Barrel!**_"

Another Zoot Suit Heartless appeared half-bodied out his left palm and fired at Matt and Nadine, as they scurry around trying not to get shot!

"Be careful!" Jade yells at them. "He's got that thing coming out of all corners!"

"BLA-HA-HA-HA!" The Phantom Blot laughs as he pulls back the Heartless. "Too much?"

"_**Electro Nail!**_" Matt double fists the ground and electricity shot up and struck the both the arms of the Blot.

The Blot struggles to move them. "What the…?"

Then Matt readies his right fist and aims for the Blot's chin, "_**Golden Dragon Fist**_!"

"A dragon?" The Phantom Blot and the rest of them saw a small, yellow, laser like dragonhead beaming from Matt's punch!

As the attack lands, the Blot falls back a few feet and then back on his feet! "No wonder," he breathes. "Mortimer and Negaduck had such trouble."

"Let's see," The Blot "pulls and tugs" at his shadow and pulls out the Zoot Suit Heartless!

"We can take it!" Darrell mutters.

"You sure?" The Phantom Blot asks. Darrell jumps above him and was ready to land a kick! Then the Zoot Suit Heartless surprises Darrell, facing him in midair and clawed at him!

"Nyeh!" the Heartless mocks, "You can't just attack from above, see?"

Just as the Zoot Suit Heartless sent its claw, Darrell was close enough for the Heartless to grab him and then slam him to the ground!

"He was fine," Lizzy says as Dorian and Blue rush out to get him. "Whatever happened?"

Dorian and Blue pick Darrell up and carry him to the sideline. Just as the Zoot Suit springs after them, Matt snags its legs and pulls it to Nadine's vine whips!

"_**Strong Ivy!**_" she throws her hands and vine shoot out! She shouted that with a little more vigor.

"Does anyone feel that?" Ashleigh asks every one. "That spike in energy?"

Nadine roars as her aura of forest green whips out!

"Is this her jewel's power?" Matt asks as he looks on.

"Boss?" the Heartless panicked. "What'll we do?"

"Merge with my shadow!" The Phantom Blot commands the Heartless! "You've had your fun," the Blot rumbles. "Now to end in your misery!"

The Phantom Blot glows purple and black!

"Does this mean we step in and help them?" Blue questions.

"It may look like it," Jade jumps in front. "Come on! We can take him!"

"OH YEAH!" Dorian says, "Let's go!"

As they stepped forward, Ashleigh blows a gust to trip them!

"What the hell?" they yell in unison.

"Sorry," Ashleigh says. "Not sorry, they got this."

"Just this once!" Blue rages.

"Ass kicking!" Jade interjects.

"Let'em go," Dorian says as he glances at the Phantom Blot.

"Let me," the Phantom Blot says. "Introduce my newest ability with the Boss Class… _**Heartless Fusion!**_"

The column of the purple and black energy stops swirling and then steps out wearing the Zoot Suit Heartless' costume!

"Now you won't interfere with our plans!" He swings at huge machine gun with the Heartless insignia imprinted on the magazine. He chuckles and aims at Nadine! "With any Boss Class Heartless I come in contact with," he says. "I gain their powers. And combined with me… you two will regret fighting me alone!"

"You've got a big mouth!" Matt shoots a bolt at the Blots eyes! He runs towards him grabs onto the gun!

Matt feels the shock from the firing machine gun! The rippling effect made him lose his grip. The Blot aims at Matt, but Nadine smacks the earth! A wall of tree bark shields Matt in safety! As the bark was shot to bits, Matt barges through with electrified fists! "Punch Zapper!" The Blot dodges the punches!

Matt lands one punch and the Blot shakes and becomes stunned! Nadine moves in for the kill.

"Has she ascended to another level?" Lizzy guesses. "Just like Romeo?"

The Phantom Blot recovers and stands back on his feet. She enwraps her arms in thick branch bark! "_**Weeping Willow!**_" Sharp leaves sprout from the branching arms! "Frenzy!" She choreographs her attack with a downward punch, and turns to slam with her elbow, and finishes with an uppercut! The Blot limped over her arm, and then a tree shoots up, making the Blot fly!

The Phantom Blot falls back down to the earth, critically injured! He returns to normal and stands back up, weakly. "It cannot be!" he says. "Defeated! Not by the Keyblade wielder, not by the whole group! But by two of them!"

The Phantom Blot opens the Dark Corridor, and steps into it facing the _Elemental Force_ one more time. "You will never follow us to Atlantis!"

Darrell wakes to hear the Blot talk. He attempts to chase after the Blot but the corridor closes quickly. He kicks the dirt in frustration!

"So it wasn't Negaduck who locked you in here?" Dorian asks Darrell. "But the Phantom Blot."

"I'll explain in good time," Darrell says. He points to the hill with the Cornerstone of Light sitting there. "Let's just get out of here."

"Finally!" Matt shakes him by the shoulders! "I was getting sick and tired of this place!"

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" Matt puts Darrell down. "We need to find that door first."

"That should be easy," Blue says as Romeo once again wanders around to sniff. He found a place to pee and Blue indicates it was the same door. "There it is," he says as he sloshes at it once again. With Jade's unwanted help by kicking, the door opens quickly and the void pulls them in. Romeo followed them to the depths!

"How do you know that's the right door?" Darrell asks.

"One way to find out," Dorian says when Matt, Nadine, Lizzy, and Ashleigh jumped through. Darrell hesitates but eventually jumps through! Dorian was the last man to jump into the void as the door closed shut from Timeless Disney Town.

…

They pushed against each other hard enough to burst through the door to the lights of reality!

"AW GODS YES!" Matt rubs his forearms, "I feel normal again!"

"I thought would be stuck like that," Blue reverts to his fish-man form.

"I'm going to miss that plushy side of you, Romeo," Sydney rubs over as Romeo submits to her hands.

Jade look at his claws and feet, as they retain their sharpness.

Ashleigh frowns at Darrell still in his 1942 form. "What's wrong?" Ashleigh asks him.

"Give me a minute," Darrell says to them. His feet blur and moved up to his head.

"It's been a long time since the Blot locked me in there," Darrell comments as he continues blurring. His skin tone is darker than Dorian's. His apparel is now hip with today's fashion: A zipper hoodie with tornado shapes emblazoned and skinny jeans. He still retains his two dreads on opposite sides of his head. "Much better!" he reveals his original self to the _Elemental Force_.

"And that leaves us with one question?" Dorian points his Keyblade at Darrell.

"Are you a friend or foe?"


	28. Lost Soul

_**Kingdom Hearts, A New Dawn**_

Chapter 27: Lost Soul

A Dark Corridor opens on top of a flat-headed mountain on the Badlands. Negaduck trudges through to find the Bloody Black Rain and Mortimer standing by. The King and Queen were still under locks in the cage. The King looks sodden at his Keyblade, chipping and cracking from banging at the bars made special by the Phantom Blot. "Your Keyblade isn't holding up," says the Queen.

"I'll figure a way out," says the King. "Somehow." King Mickey feels a lump in his left pocket.

"Did you get that last part?" Mortimer asks.

"I went through a lot of trouble just to get this tiny chip," Negaduck weakly pulls the Cornerstone from his pocket. "Did you and the Doctor finish it yet?"

"Just," says William as he finishes screwing in the last nut. "Done. Now y'all have device to suck in Light." He pats a small machine, which looks like a cross between a leaf blower and a daguerreotype camera. "That piece of the Cornerstone must contain the same wavelength as the Light in those mice over there."

"And," asks Ronin. "What does that mean?"

"Simply put," William says. "If you three want to get into Atlantis, simply aim the device at them, and then press the button."

"Atlantis?" Tank asks. "Is that place even real?"

"Like I would devote my time to psychobabble," William says. "What landmass would sink in a matter of hours? As much as I want stay and chit-chat with you colored folk, I have business to attended to." William presses on his wristwatch and opens up a 11" x 13" hologram of the galaxy.

His machination, the Magnet Man, reconfigures itself into a hover board. The Doctor presses his right ear twice and tiny nanomachines swarm around his head, fashioning into a space helmet! He mounts on the Magnet Man board and blasts off in the galaxy!

"Really?" Snipes asks, 'Colored folk?'

"There are more trifling matters," Tartarus slowly descends down, flapping his ripped wings. "Like the _Elemental Forces'_ imminent victories against a small portion of my army! And they bested the two of you!" He points at Mortimer and Negaduck!

"How was I supposed to know how strong that kid Dorian is?" Mortimer yells at him.

"The Phantom Blot should be back any minute," Negaduck looks behind him, seeing a Dark Corridor open. Indeed the Blot did return, but in critical condition!

"Holy shit!" Doctor Meff exclaims at the sight of the Blot. Nadine's thorns tore his hooded robe!

The Blot gasps and kneels as the corridor closes. "Have you defeated them?" Tartarus approaches him. The Blot is speechless. Tartarus' dragon arm snarls and gently grips around his neck. "I won't ask again," he says.

"N-No!" The Phantom Blot says. Angered, Tartarus tightens the bite and choke-slams the Blot!

"HEY!" Mortimer shouts. "That guy's our partner! Lay off!"

"Here it comes." Madison says.

"The deal breaker," Evelyn says.

"What do you think you're doing?" Negaduck slides his sharp Keyblade underneath Tartarus' chin! "You remember our deal?"

"Show patience with the three of you," Tartarus says calmly. "And you'll show me _the weapon_."

"Which is a hell of a lot more powerful than what I have now," Negaduck says. "So powerful, you can spread your darkness in the universe! You can conquer the universe. But," the blade touches the skin. "Kill any of us, you'll have a hard time getting one of these."

"You're a fool to think that you can kill me with ease," Tartarus whispers. "However you better be correct about entering the world, Atlantis."

"Prince," the Blot mutters. "Prince John has provided me vital information."

"About the world! And what about _the weapon_?" Tartarus leans forward, even with Negaduck still holding his blade to his neck. "What did he say?"

The Phantom Blot hands Tartarus a scroll from his garb. "The Prince told me of a utopia that existed long ago, before the kingdom completely vanished. The myth was that a star fell from the sky and man forged it into _the weapon_ we speak of."

"And," Negaduck adds as he gets off of Tartarus. "According to both Masters Yen Sid and Xehanort, the _**X**_-Blade, isn't the only most powerful weapon. It is powerful because it has the power to summon the legendary '_Kingdom Hearts_!"

"You've told me about Kingdom Hearts," the alien says. "And how it would grant desires and unfound wisdom."

"You still want that to happen?" Mortimer asks. Tartaus sighs and sways his dragon arm away from the Phantom Blot.

"Ronin," Tartarus commands. "You will accompany them to Atlantis and halt the _Elemental Force's_ progress."

"All right," he readies his swords.

"Now," Negaduck says when he looks at the cage. "To get to Atlantis, I need a healthy donor!"

"Here," King Mickey whispers to Queen Minnie. "Take this." He hands the Queen a Gummi block. The transparent blue block is in a star shape, with a neon green star, and one of the edges was broken off revealing solidified lightning. It's neon inside glimmers and starts to die down. "It may have enough to take one of us."

"Mickey!" the Queen says. "They're too many and too much!"

"I know!" the King says. "Come get me as soon as you find Dorian and the _Elemental Force_, okay?"

Queen Minnie sniffles and her lips quiver. "I love you," Mickey says to her with tears in his eyes.

"I love you, too," she says back. They King and Queen embrace as the Queen glows in a green light.

"It'll feel nothing more than a prick of a needle," Negaduck says as the Phantom Blot opens the cage. In a burst of light, the Queen screams as she zigzags in the air, and then shoots for the stratosphere! The King springs out, and somersaults backwards! "May as well settle with me!"

Outraged by the maneuver, Mortimer swings his lance downward! The King counters with swinging his own Keyblade: a white hilt with a solid gold key blade!

Ronin vanishes and comes closer to Mickey! The King pushes up and guards against Ronin's twin katana attack! Mickey prepares a light orb in his left. His throws it in Ronin's face. He agonizes from the blindness!

"All right mousey!" Negaduck dashes in with his signature saber and Keyblade! King Mickey also dashes in. When they met, all blades clash! Mickey pushes in while Negaduck pushes in.

"You and I both know," the King says. "That even if my Keyblade is cracked, we know who is left standing."

"Which is why I have back up," Negaduck says slyly. Tartarus appears from behind Mickey

"Aw nuts!" he says as Tartarus shocks Mickey violently! The King falls face first, smoldering.

"Get the device ready," the Phantom Blot tells Mortimer.

"Hmph," Tartarus grunts. "His skills are greatly outmatched, even if he attacked every single one of us. In speaking of which, where is Ké Kama Kili?"

"I haven't seen him," Madison says. "Maybe he's still on Radiant Gardens. Do you want me to report him back?"

"Leave him," Tartarus says calmly. "He's too much a deadweight to be in my army." His eyes glow red. "His arrogance will be his downfall!"

…

Meanwhile, at the Hall of the Cornerstone, Dorian decides whether or not Darrell is to be trusted.

"Dude!" Matt got in Dorian's view. "He helped us!"

"I'm a friend," Darrell replies with waving hands. "Just put that thing away."

"I can't," Dorian says. "Not now." The door behind the _Elemental Force_ shut quickly and a small keyhole materializes on top of the hinges. Dorian's Keyblade shoots a beam of light through the "keyhole," and then the "keyhole" disappears.

"Now we can talk," Dorian says to Darrell. "From how you're dressed, you're not from Disney Town. How'd you end up here?"

"I supposed I can tell you guys now," Darrell shoves his hands in his pockets. He pulls out numerous photos of himself with his friends on there in Charm City.

"STORY TIME!" Blue announces as he gathers Lizzy, Romeo, and Sidney.

"I'm from Charm City like y'all. This girl with in the glasses," Darrell points to the picture with a fair-skinned girl with dyed blonde hair and glasses. "This is Susie. We've been best friends since middle school. I've been looking for her since that freak snowstorm a year ago. I thought hail hit me on my third day of looking," Darrell pulls out a star shaped crystal. It had a pinkish hue with a violet center and a red star in the middle.

"What is that?" Lizzy takes a gander at the crystal. "Another Gummi?"

"Kind of," Darrell says. "From what Donald and Goofy told me, a Star Shard allows anyone to travel to any world, if they know how to use it. That's how I got here and to other places including Disney Town."

"But," Jade still tries to make sense of the situation. "How did the Phantom Blot slam you in 1942?"

"I thought he would have tips on where's Susie," Darrell answers. "Instead, he knocked me out and dragged into the past."

"I see." Dorian offered condolences. "And you've been locked away for..."

"It's been four months," Darrell shuts his eyes in disappointment. "And I don't where to start again."

"Anyway possible we could help?" Lizzy asks. "I mean, well. I shouldn't say but…"

"Charm City was gone," Sidney says for Lizzy. Darrell clutches his chest and collapses from hearing the news.

"WAS gone," Lizzy finishes. Darrell immediately stands on his tiptoes in relief. "Wait, what? How?"

"There's this alien," Ashleigh starts. "His name is Tartarus. He used his power to destroy our world. But it wasn't really destroyed, but we managed to keep the world's heart in check." Ashleigh raises Dorian's arm, "Thanks to this guy."

Darrell was lost and tries to connect the dots. And when he saw Dorian's Keyblade, he understood a little of what happened.

But before Darrell could say anything, Blue slaps Darrell's mouth shut. "I just remembered something! You think we should revisit some worlds?"

"That's not a bad idea now that you think about it," Nadine says.

"We got other worlds to see," Jade says. He pulls out a tablet gadget and points on the map, "Why don't we try this spot right here? The one with the people dressed in costumes are dancing on?"

"Guys! I think the little man has something to say," Darrell pushes Blue up front.

"Okay? What is it?" Matt asks.

"Yeah, there are possibly more worlds to explore," Blue explains. "Maybe ones to save." Blue pulls out his large-scale map of the universe. "Remember when you guys found me when I was in a dog fight with Ké Kama Kili? He said to me he was on his way somewhere, but I wasn't sure. And after we destroyed the Joker of Suites Heartless, I took my time and took this picture." Blue had flipped the board to reveal a small red spec flying towards a large blue world with what looked like scorpion like creature swimming around it.

"Are you thinking?" Lizzy speculates. "That's where the _weapon_ Negaduck was talking about, on THAT world? We don't know anything about it to begin with!"

"Well I could say this," Blue explains further. "My race had been citizens of Atlantis before the rapture. Thousands of years ago, that nation was important to my race in commerce, musical experiment, and frankly how to communicate with other countries. But what caused the utopia to sink was unknown!"

"And that's when we could help," Goofy arrives in the Hall of the Cornerstone with Donald. "If you want explore that world, you may need some new duds. Otherwise you'll be swimming around in your original bodies. And that can get pretty uncomfortable!"

"And where can we get these new 'duds?" Jade asks doubtfully.

"My magic!" Donald points at him with his wand. "Come with us upstairs so I can test it out."

Blue and Dorian shrugs at everybody else as they did.

…

They enter a dark room, and then Goofy flips fourteen light switches. "This is where we test our new duds."

The huge room is an environmental simulation, setting to different backgrounds: City, Past, Underwater, Desert, you name your theme.

"Not only would this room prepare you for any world, this would help you set your abilities in the costume you wear," Goofy explains.

"Would you pull out a piece of paper?" Donald instructs, "And write down what you would like to turn into."

Matt pulls out a folded notebook paper, and then torn it into pieces, and hands each of them apiece.

They write down what did they want to be. They hands their pieces to Donald and asks for each member to step in a tank of water.

"Is this salt water?" Sidney asks.

"You'll be okay," Donald comforts. "No matter what I can turn you into, you'll deal with ANY type of water."

"Alright," she reluctantly jumps. "I'm taking you're word for it." Yellow and gold energy beams from Donald's hands. He zaps her, and then she shrunk, to four inches.

"What am I?" she asks as she swam around.

"A pretty fish," Ashleigh answers.

"A flame angelfish," Lizzy answers specifically. "You do look pretty."

"I do," Sidney puckers her lips. "How you swim around like this?"

"ME NEXT!" Jade jumps in the tank without Sidney noticing.

Donald is a little frightened when he saw Jade jump in. His hands turned navy blue and shot at Jade. Jade fattens up, by 1000 lbs. at least! His teeth have shrunk short but sharp!

"Dorian, was it _that_ fish we saw when we were at the aquarium?" Sidney asks. "I want a mirror."

She turns around to find an overly aggressive Tiger Shark Jade! Hungry, Jade chases Sidney around!

"HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPP!" Sidney swims as quickly as she can.

Dorian heroically jumps in with Romeo. Donald's hands radiated gray and silver.

Romeo looked more of a sea lion with longer ears. Romeo bit Jade on the nose to slow him down from eating Sydney!

"A Ross Seal," Lizzy says. "One of the carnivorous seals in its genus."

"You sure know your sea animals, don't you?" Nadine's asks.

Dorian's forearms formed fins and then his lower half of his body had taken shape… oddly.

"He's a great white shark," Lizzy comments. "Yet, why does he have the large fins and feelers of a Manta Ray? He's half and half. Oh no!" Lizzy stops.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked. "What's with that look?"

"I just realized," Lizzy says. "Tiger sharks and Great White sharks are natural rivals. Look at the way they're going at each other's throats! Or gills rather!"

Dorian body slams into Jade hard! "Hey, man!" Jade grimaces, "What's your problem?"

"She's my sister YOU JERK!" he yells.

"She looked delicious!" he floats closer into Dorian's face. "I'm a shark," Jade says. "I'm always hungry!"

"How about I tear you to little ribbons?" Dorian threatens, "And then use them to make Tiger Shark Sushi!"

"Not if I get you first, Manta Boy!" Jade gets back into Dorian's face.

"Shark's hormones skyrocket quickly!" Lizzy says. "Somebody stop them!"

In a sequence Blue, Matt, Nadine, and Ashleigh jump in the pool.

Donald quacks three times as his magic is flushed from his fingers! A stream of four colors hit them!

Lizzy and Darrell look up and down in excitement as Lizzy named what animals he knew in the sea, "Blue turned to a rare and venomously potent Inflatable Moorish Man-of-War, Nadine's half Pacific Dusky Dolphin, Matt is a Potbellied Seahorse, and Ashleigh is half Pterois volitans, or the Red Lionfish!"

"You really do know your stuff. Don't you?" Darrell asks to Lizzy. Nadine us her wood elemental powers to tie Dorian and Jade away from each other, and Blue uses his tentacles used to paralyze them. They float to the top motionless.

Donald was panting very hard as he tried to concentrate the last of his magic to shoot at Lizzy. At last he jumped with the rest of the Elemental Force. Donald exhausted the last of his transforming costume magic to Lizzy. The lizard stretched in and out as he morphed into, "a Shrimp?"

"Jumbo Shrimp!" Goofy laughs. Donald is sweating bullets then he fell back, dizzy and tired.

"So?" Goofy asks the _Elemental Force_. "How do ya like your new bodies?"

"I kind of like it," Blue says. He doesn't know that his tentacle was drifting to Ashleigh's face. She felt a light sting.

"As long as I'm not like those two," she points at Dorian and Jade, still paralyzed from Blue's venom.

Sidney is too terrified to respond as she cuddled in Nadine's arms. "I don't think this mission is for…"

"Please," Sidney whispers. "I need this so that I can become stronger."

"But Jade is a big shark, and Dorian as another big shark," Nadine says.

"I think we're ready for the new world," Blue says.

Wide-eyed, Matt stares at Blue. "But I'm a Seahorse!"

"So?" Blue asks.

"COME ON, MAN! I-AM-A-SEA-HORSE! Do you know what happens to a male seahorse?" Matt panics.

"You don't want any kids?" Blue sounds naïve.

"A-DUH! I don't want to be PREGNANT," Matt's eyes are welling up. "It's unnatural!"

"It is so natural," Blue says.

Ashleigh, Sidney and Nadine are creeping up behind Matt, or so he thought they were.

Dorian wakes up from his poison nap. "Whoa! I was about to maul someone!"

"Oh, Good Morning!" every one stares at him like he was a wild animal.

Jade awakens next. "OH NO! I was about to eat Sidney, wasn't I?"

"Gee, you really think so?" every one stars at him like he was a rabid animal.

"Two of the Force's strongest members," a downcast Lizzy says. "Are two of the world's most fearsome sharks… we're all gonna die…"

"Okay," Goofy says to them. " I just got word your Gummi Ship is ready. Chip and Dale finished installing that Navigation Gummi Lizzy found. Just jump out the tank when you're ready."

Goofy carries a sleepy Donald out of the room as the teammates looked at each other. They have no clue how to remove their aquatic costumes.

"I'll get out first to see what happens," Dorian volunteers. He swims to the top of the tank, crawled over, and then falls on his back.

Every one looks out the glass to see what happened to him. Nothing really, he was back to normal once he ripped a piece of sharkskin of his forehead.

"EW!" Sidney says. The sharkskin then shriveled into the paper he written on. "That's all?" she said as she swims to the top of the tank, crawled over, and then fell on her face. Sidney needed help ripping the false skin off of her. Dorian walks over and picked her up and asked, "Where does it hurt?"

"My face hurts, and I can't breathe," she complains. He rips some part of her fin and she transformed back to her normal self. Like a school of unwary fish, the rest of the _Elemental Force_ swims to the top of the tank and then falls out.

"Not all at once!" Dorian and Sidney had to peel every one else's false skins off. All skins are accounted for, except for Jade's. In his shark form, he was lying on his side, lacking water oxygen. He flips both ways, agonized by lack of breath.

Sidney was about to rip his off until Dorian and Lizzy call her attention. "Remember what he tried to do to you?"

All too well… She immediately backs off.

"You bastards!" Jade says weakly, "And YOU Lizzy, why you…"

"A little lesson needed to be learned," Lizzy says.

"Give him about one more minute," Dorian grins.

Jade squirmed even more, "You jerks! Insensitive jerks!"

"Okay, rip it off, Sid," Dorian gives thumbs up. She rips the sharkskin with so much gusto it hurt Jade!

He returned to normal, as he is teary eyed and went up against Dorian and Lizzy. "YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THAT, especially YOU, BROTHER!"

An angry Jade, hunched over, mumbling over his breath went out the room. "He should really control his emotions sometimes," Lizzy says.

"Hold on," Darrell asks. "How am I going home?"


End file.
